Fox's Tales
by Foxclaw999
Summary: Foxpaw is trying her best to be a good apprentice. But, things turn for the worst when violence and abandonment take place. The only questions are how will she cope and who gets hurt? Normal shipping in books. OC/OC LT/OC. Rated T for swearing & violence
1. Prologue

"Why I chose this place confuses everyone...even me." Thunderstar mumbled as he padded his way through the outskirts of Starclan. There wasn't much grass here, nothing but sparse grass and hardened ground that reminded him of it didn't concern him, after all, he needed a vacant place to discuss a problem that might hurt Thunderclan for a long time.

"How Windclan can live with this..I'll never know" Thunderstar spat as his orange fur got stuck in one of the many half-dead thorn plants. After struggling for what seemed like an eternity, he got unstuck just in time to hear some familiar voices.

"Damn it all, I got stuck again. Why Thunderstar picked this place beats me. Couldn't he of picked somewhere a little more...I don't know...Bearable?" the voice spat, fustration gripping his voice, at an apparant accomplice.

"Calm down Owlstar." a second voice said soothingly, "As soon as this meeting is over, you can go back to your nest, grumpy guss." the second voice finished. "I'll calm down as soon as Thunderstar gets here. After all, he's the one thats late" Owlstar spat.

"Then calm down,since I'm right here." Thunderstar said as he walked out so the two could see him.

"How long have you been there?' A tom with yellow tabby stripes said, his green eyes were sparkling with surprise.

"Long enough Sunstar, long enough" Thunderstar stated calmly as he sat down.

"Now we can finally find out why you brought us out to this horrid place." Owlstar stated between licks, trying to get his gray fur back in place.

"Funny, I thought you two would know why I brought you here." Thunderstar purred calmly.

"If its about that new cat who is destined to save the Clans, then I see no reason why you brought us here." Owlstar said sarcastically.

"Not him, you mousebrain" Sunstar said "you're talking about the tabby. right?"Thunderstar nodded.

"Why should we bother?," Owlstar spat angrily " so she has a bad father. Is she really going to be that big of an influence on the clans?"

"We don't know yet" Thunderstar stated calmly despite Owlstar's agression " but... something tells me that she will be an influence, a bad influence even."

" But we can't be sure if my granddaughter will be an influence at all" a new voice said. We all turned our heads to see Pinestar walking toward us.

"How did you know we would meet here?" Sunstar questioned. " That doesn't concern you, Sunstar," Pinestar said,looking at Sunstar," but anyway, like I was saying, we have no idea if Foxkit will be an influence, but, she is worth keeping an eye on since you all seem so tense about her."

"I agree, we'll keep an eye on her through her training. If anything should come up, we'll discuss it next time we meet." Thunderstar said, nodding at Pinestar.

"Does that mean we can all go back?' Owlstar said as he got up and stretched, "If we don't get back soon, we'll miss out on all the fresh kill."

"Yes, but we will meet again eventually, but somewhere different than this." Thunderstar said as he stood up.

"Thank goodness" Sunstar said as he stood.  
They soon began to leave their meeting area and head back to and sunstar ran off ahead, while Thunderstar slowed his pace to talk to Pinestar,despite how much he wanted to get out of this place.

"Hey Pinestar, do you have any idea what Foxkit will do?" Thunderstar asked the younger leader.

" Honestly, no." Pinestar said as he looked up, " but I can say this, she will master in fighting, with her father's help of course. Anyway, we better catch up to Owlstar and Sunstar." Pinestar finished as he ran off,leaving Thunderstar there.

"The only other question is if she'll even want his help." Thunderstar mumbled to himself as he ran off to catch up with the others.

* * *

Me: Well that's it for the prologue. I hope you enjoy it. In the next chapter, we finally meet Foxkit and things don't go well. Anyway, bye. I own nothing but my OC's who haven't appeared yet, but they will. Reviews wanted. Bye now for sure


	2. Ch1 Foxkit

"No, I won't help you!"

"Then keep running, you dumb kit." the voice said to me as I tried to look around for someone to help me. but I couldn't see anything.

"Got to run,got to run, got to run!" I said to myself as I tried to make myself run faster, but I was getting tired, I could feel it."I'm not going to make it!" I thought...until.

"Foxkit, Foxkit!" somebody opened her eyes and looked around. All she saw were the nursery walls and Snowkit looking at her.  
_  
It was all just a dream, thank Starclan. _

"Foxkit, pay attention to me, darn it" Snowkit spat as her loud yowl brought Foxkit back from her thoughts. Foxkit looked up at her denmate. She didn't look any different since her white fur and green eyes were flawless, so she says.

"You've been keeping me up all night with your sleep panicking." Snowkit said as she lashed her tail.

"I'm sorry, Snow.I had a nightmare." Foxkit stated, trying to calm Snowkit down.

"This isn't the day to have nightmares-" Snowkit started

"-or be cranky?" Foxkit interrupted,purring as Snowkit glared at her, clearly annoyed.

"Whatever, the point is that today is initiation for us." Snowkit finished.

"As if I could forget." Foxkit said as she stood up and stretched.

"Then move your lazy tabby butt and lets go." Snowkit said as she spun around and ran out of the nursery.

"Hey, wait up!" Foxkit yowled as she ran after Snowkit and into the clearing. The sun was shining through the trees and making shadows on the dew covered grass. As Foxkit breathed in the scents around her, it became obvious that the dawn patrol has already left. The only other cats in the clearing were Snowkit and Darkstripe who was guarding the entrance.

"You coming." Snowkit said from over by the apprentice's den, trying to peer in.

"Be quiet, you mousebrain or do you want Darkstripe to rip your pelt off." Foxkit whispered as she sneaked up to Snowkit and stood beside her, staring at the apprentice's den. The apprentice's den was mainly under a tree stump lined with ferns, but now some of the ferns were scattered due to Snowkit.

"He wouldn't do that. He's a softy on the inside." Snowkit said as she tried to sneak into the apprentice's den. I sat outside and watched. The last thing I wanted to do today was get n trouble. I spun around and looked back at Darkstipe. He hadn't moved from his spot.

_How does he not hear all the noise Snowkit is making?_I turned back around to keep an eye on Snowkit. All I could see was the tip of her tail.

_Well all be darn, she might actually make it._Suddenly, I had a bad feeling that someone was watching me. I spun around to see who it was and there standing behind me was Darkstripe and he didn't look happy.

"What's going on here?" he asked me. I tried to look into his amber eyes, but all I could see was his gray and black tabby striped fur."

Uhh..." Foxkit mumbled "It was Snowkit's idea,Darkstripe,she started it." Foxkit said as she tried to pin the blame on Snowkit but Darkstripe's stare soon told her that he wasn't buying it.

"Way to rat me out, Foxkit." Snowkit spat as she poked her head out the den, glaring angrily at Foxkit. Foxkit tried to back up and away from Snowkit, but Darkstripe's tail stopped her.

"Get out of there, Snowkit, you're not an apprentice yet." Darkstripe said. Snowkit did as told and came out of the apprentice's den.

"Sorry" Snowkit said as she ran off back to the nursery.

"Keep an eye on your troublesome friend, will ya." Darkstripe said as he walked back to his place in front of the entrance, still acting grumpy.

"I'll try." I said to him as I walked back to the nursery only to find Snowkit sitting at the entrance with her head down, almost looking ashamed.

_Well that's a new one. Never thought I'd see the day when Snowkit is ACTUALLY ashamed of something she did._

"See," Snowkit said suddenly as her head bobbed back up, suddenly brightening up. It was almost like her feeling of guilt was never there. " I told you he wouldn't rip our pelts off."

_Point taken, I knew she wasn't ashamed._

"Ours?' " Foxkit repeated, "Don't you mean yours, after all, I didn't do anything wrong, remember." Foxkit finished as she walked over to Snowkit.

"Whatever." Snowkit said as we walked back into the nursery, "Now, If you don't mind, I'm going to get more sleep before the initiation. Don't wake me up with your nightmares!"As she finished speaking, she dropped down by her mother,Icepelt , soon fast asleep.

I soon did the same as I sat down by my mother, Dawnflower.

"Well, she woke me up." Foxkit mumbled to herself before curling up against Dawnflower.

"And honestly, I hope I don't wake her up." Foxkit said as she soon fell into a deep sleep despite the sun coming in through the nursery walls.

* * *

Me: Hi, hope you enjoyed the official first chapter. The italics are Foxkit's thoughts. Sorry that I kept changing from Foxkit's point of view to third person's point of view. If it annoyes you, let me know please. It was an accident, but I still think it came out well. I own nothing but my OC's Foxkit, Snowkit, Icepelt and Dawnflower. Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter. In the next chapter, the initiation finally starts, until "Someone" unexpectadely shows up. And one more thing, this takes place during "Into the Wild". Bye and don't forget to review


	3. Ch2 The Suspicious Visitor

"My fur looks fine, mom." Foxkit whined as Dawnflower kept licking her. She didn't understand why she had to look perfect. After all she was only going to become an apprentice.

"Because you need to look good." Brindleface said. Foxkit turned and glared at the tabby queen, turning just enough to get out of her mom's reach.

"Get back here." Dawnflower said as she picked Foxkit up by the scruff and placed her back in front of her.

"I didn't move Mom. I just turned around." Foxkit retaliated, "And, how much longer 'till we are done? At the end of this, I'll look like I just jumped in the river."

"All right, all right. I'll stop." Dawnflower said as she moved away from me. I soon stood up and stretched. " I'm just glad that one of my kits is going to be an apprentice."

_I know mom. Owlkit, my brother, died soon after birth and Weaselkit, my sister, was snatched up by an owl..._

"Mom, are we done yet? I'm soaked."

Foxkit_'_s trail of thought was cut short by Snowkit's whining. Foxkit looked up to see Snowkit trying to get away from Icepelt, but was clearly failing.

"Looks like the only thing you can't get away from is you mom." I purred as I walked up to my struggling friend. I didn't feel like helping her, after all, it was too much fun watching her attempts at trying to get away.

"Shut up!" Snowkit spat as Icepelt finally got her to hold still. Icepelt soon resumed trying to get Snowkit to look good, but Snowkit still disapproved.

"Can you at least try to hold still, Snowkit?" Icepelt asked as she held her daughter still, "Or, do you want to go out there looking like a stuck-up kit?"

"Fine, I'll stay still...But, I'm not stuck-up!" Snowkit said as she sat back down, forcing herself to tolerate the constant licking.

"Could've fooled me." I said. I heard the other queens purring at my remark, while Snowkit just gave me an angry glare. "Besides, you can't be too grumpy today."

"Well, I wouldn't be grumpy if SOMEONE hadn't kept me up all night." Snowkit said.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Speckletail said calmly.

"Fine."

"Whatever."

"All right , you're done." Icepelt said as she finally let Snowkit go free. Snowkit stood up and stretched.

"Is it almost time?" I asked.

"Yeah, it should be." Dawnflower said

"Let's get up there and find good spots before they run out." Icepelt said as she stood up and made her way outside, quickly followed by Dawnflower, Snowkit and myself. As I walked out, I smelled the strangest scent. I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Snowkit said as she layed down, trying to cover her nose with her paws.

"That's the smell of kittypets." Icepelt answered.  
"What the..." she said but soon stopped herself almost as if what she saw either frightened or amazed her. I squeezed my way between them and soon saw what had frightened her. Lionheart and Whitestorm were by the entrance, but the strange thing was the cat between them. He was about my age and had orange fur, similar to my own, but no tabby stripes. His eyes were green and had a shine of nervousness in them. He also had a strange thing hanging around his neck.

_This is a new face, after all, he looks so amazed at our camp, so he can't be a Clan cat...Wait, the strange smell is coming from him, which must mean that..._

"He's a kittypet.: I said as I finished my thoughts out loud.

"You really think so?" Snowkit said as she stood up and walked up to me.

"Defiantly." I said, " If what Icepelt said is true and that is the scent of kittypet, than he has to be one."

"I don't see how they can stand themselves with their awful scent." Snowkit whispered. I could tell that this new cat's scent was getting to her and frankly, it was getting to me too.

"Look, it's Bluestar." I said as the gray she-cat made her way toward him.

_This doesn't make sense. What would Bluestar want with a kittypet and why is no one trying to get rid of him? _

" Let's go find out what they're doing." Snowkit said as she ran toward them. I was more curious than angry so I decided to follow. We sat near the group, but they were so wrapped up that they didn't seem to notice us.

" He came." Blustar purred as she addressed the warriors.

"Lionheart was convinced that he wouldn't show." Whitestorm replied.

"So, what do you think of him?" Bluestar asked.

"He kept up well on the return journey, despite his puny seems pretty strong, considering the fact that he is a kittypet." Lionheart admitted.

"Told you he was a kittypet." I said to Snowkit. She either didn't hear me or didn't care to give a reply since she seemed more interested in the conversation than me. I didn't really care for her reply, so I went back to listening. I looked back to see Lionheart and Whitestorm nodding.

"Then I shall announce his arrival to the Clan." Blustar said as she turned away from the warriors and jumped up onto Highrock. When she got up there, she yowled,"Let all those cats who are old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

"This is it!" Snowkit said as she jumped to her feet. "Come on, let's go find our moms." She finished as she bounded off toward Icepelt

_Why do I have the feeling that something bad is going happen?_

I didn't have any choice but to walk over to Dawnflower and sit. I had the feeling that this wasn't going to be an ordinary meeting, let alone my apprentice ceremony.

* * *

Me: That's the end for Ch.2. And now I'm going to do something new. Have conversations with my OC's at the end of each chapter. So, here's Foxkit  
Fox: Uhh... Hi  
Me: Anyway that's the end of this chapter. I own nothing but the OC's and the plot.  
Fox: In the next chapter, we find out what the meeting is all about.  
Me: and who the kittypet is. Of course, if you read Into the Wild than you know who it is.  
Fox: What's "Into the Wild"?  
Me: Oh...It's nothing...heheheh (continues laughing suspiciously)  
Fox:o_0  
Me:See you later  
Fox: Uhhh... Bye


	4. Ch3 The Truth comes to Light pt1

I watched silently as the other cats came to Highrock. The kittypet looked nervous with all these strangers sitting around him, and frankly, I don't blame him...or her.

_The one thing I don't know is if this kittypet is a tom or a she-cat _

Soon, everyone had sat still and soon, Bluestar started.

"Thunderclan needs more warriors." she began. "Never before have we had so few apprentice's training."

"That's where we come in,Fox" Snowkit said as she got ready to get up.

"It has been decided that Thunderclan will take an outsider to train as a warrior." Bluestar stated.I felt a ripple of shock run through everyone. Words of doubt and surprise echoed into my ears. I looked at Snowkit, who looked just as surprised as me.

_So that's why this kittypet is here, because Bluestar wants HIM to be a warrior...But, what about me and Snowkit? We have equal or even more right than that KITTYPET to be apprentices, let alone warriors._

My trail of thought was cut short by Bluestar's yowl, which also silenced the whispers.

"I have found a cat who is willing to become an apprentice of Thunderclan."

"Lucky to become an apprentice." a familiar voice said. I spun around to see that Longtail, who had probably said it, who was staring defiantly at Bluestar.I wasn't sure if Bluestar had heard the comment because she either didn't or was just ignoring Longtail.

"What about us?" I heard Snowkit say, probably more to herself than to anyone else. I was thinking the same just like Longtail, if Bluestar heard her comment, she didn't care.

"Lionheart and Whitestorm have met this young cat and they agree with me that we should train him with the other apprentices." Bluestar continued. I looked at the kittypet and apparently, so had everyone else since I could feel the fear drifting off his fur. Suddenly,an uproar of questions and protests came from everyone. Words of denial, anger, curiosity and complaining filled the morning air.

"Where does he come from?"

"Which clan does he belong to?"

"What a strange scent he carries. That's not the scent of any clan I know."

Then suddenly, Longtail finally pointed the obvious out.

"Look at his collar, he's a kittypet. Once a kittypet, always a kittypet. The Clan needs wild born warriors to defend it, not another soft mouth to feed."  
I continued to listen to Longtail, but couldn't help to notice that something was missing. I spun around and soon saw that Dawnflower was missing. I turned back around and tried to locate her in the sea of cats. I didn't have much luck until I finally saw her next to Whitestorm, talking quietly to him. I tried to listen, but Longtail's loud yowls stopped my efforts.

"Your collar is the mark of the Twolegs, and that noisy jingling will make you a poor hunter at best. It might even bring the Twolegs here, at worst, looking for their poor, lost kittypet with his pitiful tinkling." He continued. Soon, everyone yowled in agreement. I didn't say anything because now my only interest is his reaction.

_All right, you've been embarrassed and harassed in front of everyone, so what are you going to do, kittypet?_

I soon noticed Lionheart bending over and whispering something in the kittypet's ear. My attention was soon brought to Longtail's preaching of the negatives of the kittypet.

"The noise of your treacherous bell will alert our enemies,even if your Twoleg stench doesn't do that first."

Suddenly, I saw the kittypet crouch down, almost as if he was going to attack Longtail.  
_  
He's insane_

But it was too late, the kittypet pounced. Longtail didn't see the attack coming and soon staggered sideways and lost his footing on the hard- baked earth. I watched as the two cats were suddenly locked in a screaming, writhing tussle. The other cats soon had too jump out of the way to avoid being sucked in. Soon, Longtail got his teeth in the collar and began to tug with all his might. The kittypet soon began to struggle, but soon began to pull away from Longtail. Then, the collar snapped and hung from Longtail's mouth. Soon, their injuries were obvious. The kittypet had a cut above his eye. One of Longtail's ears was badly torn at the tip. Clumps of fur hung from both of their pelts. They stared at each other, since neithers hostility was at rest. Bluestar immediately jumped down from Highrock and took the collar from Longtail and placed it on the ground in front of her.

"The newcomer has lost his Twoleg collar in a battle for his honor. Starclan has spoken their approval- this cat has been released from the hold of his Twoleg owners, and is free to join Thunderclan as an apprentice."Bluestar meowed

_Even if he didn't get in the fight, the collar would have been taken off if he joined the Clan...but still, it was a good way to get it off. Nice job, kittypet. _

The kittypet soon nodded his approval and stepped into a shaft of sunshine. His orange fur shined and he held his head high. Now, no one said anything for he had won his honor. Bluestar walked up to the kittypet and placed the collar in front of him. She touched his ear with her nose. She whispered something into his ear and her eyes flashed briefly.

_Whatever she said to him, must have a deeper meaning than he understands._

She soon turned to the clan.

'From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Firepaw, in honor of his flame-colored pelt." Bluestar announced. Firepaw soon spun around and kicked dirt over the collar, burying it and his kittypet past. Everyone soon broke into groups and began murmuring excitedly. Blustar began to make her way to her den, but I got up and blocked her path.

"Hey Bluestar...When is Me and Snowkit's apprentice ceremony? After all, we do turn six moons old today." I asked, looking up at her. I noticed a little hint of surprise in her eyes, but it soon faded.

"Tomorrow." She answered calmly

"WHAT!" I yowled. I knew that everyone had heard me and that I was making a scene, but that didn't concern me.

"What do you mean it's tomorrow? You take the time to make a damn kittypet an apprentice, but not your own flesh and blood...and Snowkit." I finished. I listened to the whispers of surprise in the crowd. I looked back up to see that Bluestar's expression hadn't changed.

"Foxkit, clearly if you are going to defy me like this, than what is the reason to make you an apprentice? Keep this up and you'll stay a kit forever." Bluestar said as she walked around me.

_This isn't fair! I deserve to be an apprentice and so does Snowkit. This is ridiculous. Why won't she listen to reason?_

"Well, if you aren't going to initiate me, you can at least initiate Snowkit."I I wasn't going to be an apprentice, at least Snowkit should.

"No,Foxkit." I heard Snowkit say as she walked up to me."If we're going to be apprentices, I'd rather be initiated on the same day as you. Otherwise, it won't be fun." Snowkit turned to Bluestar.  
"We'll wait,Bluestar...but, when we become apprentices, we'll be the best."Snowkit finished. I was quite surprised by Snowkit's generosity of wanting to become apprenticed on the same day as me. Just as Bluestar was about to answer when Smallear let out a warning yowl. Everyone turned to see Ravenpaw, his eyes filled with fear, his coat ruffled, one of his front legs bleeding and panting heavily. Bluestar soon stepped out of the crowd.

"Ravenpaw?" she said calmly. Everyone gathered their attention to Ravenpaw as he struggled to remain standing. He remained silent, probably because he may have been to much in shock or scaared to speak.

"What has happened?...Speak, Ravenpaw." Bluestar continued as I pushed my way through the crowd to get a better look. Ravenpaw was still struggling for breath. The ground around him turned red from blood. Somehow, he found enough strength to haul himself up onto Highrock next to Bluestar, where he soon sat down. Everyone turned toward him, eager to hear the news.

_Something tells me that something bad had happened_

"Redtail is dead." Ravenpaw was finally able to say as shocked yowls echoed through the clan and out into the forest.

_Knew it __  
_

* * *

Me: Well, that's Ch.3.  
Fox: Shouldn't we mention that after Bluestar gave Firepaw his name, everyone was talking to him?  
Me:maybe, but this was from your point of view and you didn't care for that  
Fox: True,true  
Me: Anyway, that's it. I own nothing but the OC's and the plot, everything else belongs to Erin Hunter...Oh, I have little profiles for my OCs, so if you want, you can look at those.  
Fox: But don't those have spoilers?  
Me: You're asking a lot of questions here, aren't ya?  
Fox:...  
Me: Anyway, yes, there are spoilers, but if you don't care for spoilers, than go ahead and look.  
Fox: In the next Chapter, Snowkit and I try to get through the rest of the day without being too depressed.  
Me: And we meet Foxkit's dad  
Fox:(sarcastically) Oh... I can't wait  
Me: Bye and don't forget to review :)


	5. Ch4 The Truth comes to Light pt2

I listened as Ravenpaw explained the whole thing. I understood it, even though on several occasions his voice cracked, probably due to his nervousness. After the briefing he half-stumbled, half-fell off Highrock, where Goldenflower got Spottedleaf.

_From what I understand, Redtail was killed by Oakheart, the Riverclan deputy, during a patrol. But the weird thing was...is that the attack was unprovoked._

"No..I don't believe it." I said, mainly to myself.

"What don't you believe?" Snowkit said as she walked up next to me, a concerned look in her emerald eyes.

"I don't think Oakheart did it." I stated, surprised of the confidence I felt in my chest.

"So...who do you think did it?" Snowkit asked, pushing me to explain further. However, I could tell from the shine in her eyes that she didn't believe me.

"I just think that Redtail was murdered." I said, trying to keep my voice down so no one would here me.

"I'll let you think that for now," Snowkit purred as she turned her head to the entrance,"Look, here comes you dad."

I looked to the entrance way to see Tigerclaw walking in while dragging a dead Redtail. Shocked yowls soon erupted, filling the air. It was soon over when Bluestar yowled.

"Tigerclaw, how did this happen?" I could tell she was trying very hard to stay calm, but a trained ear could tell she was anything but calm.

"Since everyone's now paying attention, I'm sure Ravenpaw told you most of the story, but what I can tell you is that he died with honor. I couldn't save him, but I did avenge him by taking Oakheart's life while he was gloating. His death wasn't in vain, for now, I'm positive we won't see any Riverclan hunters in our territory." Tigerclaw said. Almost everyone got up to pay their respects to the fallen deputy. Snowkit stood up too, for Redtail was very close to her, for reasons I don't know.

_This still doesn't make sense. Tigerclaw's too confident. He has something up his paw._

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt someone picking me up by the scruff. I always hated that feeling. I look up to see a dark brown tabby striped pelt and amber eyes staring at me.

_Tigerclaw! What does he want? _

Tigerclaw soon dropped me. I felt the pain of hitting the ground travel through my body. But, instead of sitting there in pain, I knew I had to face him. I stood up and looked him in those cold amber eyes.

"Yes." I said calmly, trying to hide my shock,

"So, did I miss your apprentice ceremony?" He asked. I was surprised that he cared about it.

"No...you'll have plenty of time to see it tomorrow." I said. A look of surprise came upon his face.

"Last time I checked, you and Snowkit turn 6 moons old today. Why is it tomorrow?" He asked. Despite the surprise, his voice was still calm. How he does it, I'll never know.

" Bluestar is holding it up because of the kittypet who joined the clan."

"Kittypet? Joined the clan?...Oh, yeah. I remember Bluestar saying about that." He said, his calmness staying in place.

"Yea, over there," I said as I pointed my tail at Firepaw,"His name's Firepaw and like you said,Bluestar invited him to join the Clan, said he was special or somethin' like that."

"Really...how interesting." Tigerpaw purred as he faced me,"Now, do your dad a favor and stay away from him. As I say, 'once a kittypet, always a kittypet'. Got it?"

"Yes, daddy." I said, looking down at the ground. I hated to be frank, but I was slightly curious about him.

"Aw..don't tell me you like him." Daddy said. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I felt my pelt rise from embarressment.

_How could I like him? I haven't even talked to him._

"Last time I checked, you liked Graypaw, correct?" He said, glaring at me. I knew he was messing with my emotions, but what could I do?

"The answers to your questions are No, I don't like the kittypet. And as for Graypaw, it doesn't concern you." I said confidently, looking into my father's eyes. I kept his eyes locked with mine as I stood up.

"It's nice to know that your finally growing some spine, Fox. Just stay away from the kittypet, you got it." He said calmly. I could tell from his voice though that he was glad I could finally stand up for myself.

"All right, now if you don't mind, I'm going to go find Snowkit." I said as I spun around and walked away. I felt a wave of relief since he didn't follow me, but I felt his stare burning into my fur. I soon found Snowkit sitting away from Redtail, but still staring at his lifeless body.

"You alright?" I asked, padding up to her. She turned and looked at me, her eyes gleaming with sadness.

"Yeah, I'm just fine." She purred, but she never could hide her grief. Despite her normal happiness, grief choked her voice. I knew instantly that her relationship with Redtail was deeper than anyone knew of.

_Uhh...thats 2 things I have to figure out. Who killed Redtail and what kind of relationship does Snow have with Redtail?_

"I'm going to the nursery. I need some time on my own." Snowkit mewed,sadness having a tight hold on her voice. She didn't wait for my response to her statement as she walked off, leaving me alone, sitting in the middle of the clearing.

" The warriors sleep over here." a voice said as someone walked right into me. I soon tried to get the cat off of me while trying to keep my claws tucked away. Soon, the cat's weight was off of me. I tried to stand up, but all I got was my head hitting the older cat's chest, forcing me to sit down again.

"Oww...Hey, last time I checked, I'm not that small to not go unnoticed!" I spat as I looked up. The other cat wasn't that taller that me. I recognized his gray fur and soft amber eyes.

_Graypaw _

"Well... YOU could learn not to sit in others ways." He retaliated, a purr running in his voice.

"Sorry" I said sarcastically, "I'll be on my way if you don't mind." I started to walk away, but Graypaw's tail stopped me.

"Hold on, you need to meet Firepaw." he said. I spun around to face the 'kittypet'. His orange fur glistened in the sun and his green eyes sparkled.

"I'm Foxkit, nice to meet ya'." I said. I tried to stay calm, but I could feel my anger rising.

_After all, he did steal my apprenticeship day._

"Its nice to meet you to." Firepaw said politely, trying to stay on my good side.

"Don't let her intimidate you, Firepaw. She just acts like her dad when she is mad." Graypaw started,a joking hint in his voice. I shot him a glare, even though I knew it was true.

"She's just a day younger than me. She is goin' to have her apprentice ceremony today." Graypaw finished.

"That's great, you excited?" Firepaw asked me. My anger suddenly vanished, probably just because I had no reason to be mad.

"I would be if it was today." I started. The two toms had surprised looks on their faces.

"My apprentice ceremony is tomorrow." I finished.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Graypaw yowled as he stood up. I was surprised by his reaction, but it felt good to know he cared for me.

"I got apprenticed yesterday...so, you should be today." He continued.

"He has a point. Why is it tommarow?" Firepaw asked. I was beginning to wonder why Daddy didn't like him. He seemed nice.

"Well, Firepaw, Bluestar is holdin' it off 'cause YOU came today." I snapped since I was still sore about it.

"Well, I'm sorry, Foxkit. I didn't know." He apoligized. I knew it wasn't his fault, it was mainly Bluestar's.

"It's okay Firepaw. I don't blame ya for this." I said, looking into his emerald eyes.

"Well then, how about you help me show Firepaw around." Graypaw asked.

"Sure, got nothin' else better to do." I said as we all stood up and began walking.

_I would have said yes just so I could hang out with Graypaw_

For a while,Graypaw and I showed Firepaw around camp. We also introduced him to the elders and there he got his first taste of mouse. As the two apprentices ate the mouse, I listened to the elder's conversation, though I could tell I wasn't the only one. After that, Bluestar's yowl signaled the start of yet another clan meeting.

"Thunderclan needs a new deputy." Bluestar started as everyone began to join in on the meeting. I decided to sit next to Graypaw, although I could feel my father's stare burning my pelt.

"Lionheart will be the new deputy." Bluestar continued. I noticed dad nudging Lionheart in congratulation, although it seemed that he almost knocked him off his feet.

"Also, Darkstripe will be Dustpaw's new mentor." Bluestar finished as the dark warrior stood up and touched noses with his new apprentice. After that, everyone either was going back to their dens or getting ready to sit vigil with Redtail.

"See ya later, Foxkit" Graypaw said as he began to walk toward the apprentice's den with Firepaw, but spun around just before walking in.

"Foxpaw tomorrow." He finished as he disappeared inside. I was about to walk toward the nursery when a certain cat stopped me.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him." Tigerclaw said as he moved me with one of his massive paws, forcing me to face him.

"It was just one day, relax." I said, standing up again.

"With you as a kit, that's hard. But when you become an apprentice,it'll be easier." He finished as he walked away, toward the warrior's den.

_Yet another thing I need to figure out. What did he mean?_

I contemplated this as I walked into the nursery. I noticed that Icepelt and Snowkit weren't in there, but I didn't care, I was too tired. I walked toward Dawnflower and snuggled up to her for the 'real' last night I would be in here.

"Happy this is your last night with me?" Dawnflower asked.

"In here, yes...with you, no." I said, snuggling up to her. I realized I really was going to miss her.

"You'll be alright...after all, you can snuggle up to Graypaw." She teased as she put her head down to fall asleep.

"Shut up" I purred teasingly. I heard my mom's purr as she soon fell asleep. I soon followed, already excited for tomorrow.

* * *

Me: Well, that's the end of Ch.4  
Fox: I got picked on by my dad :(  
Me: It's alright Foxkit, 'cause in the next chapter, you become an apprentice.  
Fox: And we find out who my mentor will be...Who is is anyway, Crys?  
Me: Who is Crys?  
Crystal:Me, of course  
Me: Crystal, how did you get here. I haven't introduced you yet.  
Crystal: That doesn't concern you but anyway. Hi everyone. I'm Crystal Wolfe and I'm an OC from a totally other anime. :)  
Fox: Than why are you here?  
Crystal: 'Cause Erin hasn't introduced my story yet and I want to talk to the fans  
Fox: We have fans?  
Me:...  
Crystal:...  
Fox:...XP  
Crystal: anyway, don't forget to review, BYE :D  
Fox: She is WAY to happy


	6. Ch5 Finally!

"Today, you are definitely going to be an apprentice." Dawnflower said between licks. Like yesterday, she was trying to get my scruffy fur to actually look good. I knew it was hard, but it was also annoying.

"Finally." Snowkit said, obviously satisfied. I look over to see her fur put into place.

_Another difference between me and her is that her fur is 'perfect' while mine is a mess, phhh, who cares?_

"There, that should do." my mom said before backing away from me. I knew I could look better, but my mom put in an honest effort. I can respect that.

"She could be worse." Icepelt said, looking me over. I glared at her. I was never too concerned about my appearance, but her statement shook me a little.

"Stop giving me the death glare, Foxy." Icepelt snapped "Anyway, don't sweat it, you'll both do fine."

"Do you know when it will start?" Snowkit asked as she sat next to me.

"Soon," Dawnflower said,"this way, you two and Firepaw will start training the same day."

"It still doesn't make sense why she held it back." I said, looking at the two queens.

"Like Icepelt said, don't sweat it." a new voice said. I looked over to see that it was Dappletail.

"And while your at it." she continued, "try to keep it down. Some of us are still trying to sleep." when she finished, she put her head down and maybe fell asleep.

"Grumpies, anyway, let's talk about it outside." Snowkit said as she ran out the nursery. I padded after her. The morning wasn't much different than yesterday's, other than that Whitestorm standing watch. Unlike yesterday, it was windy, instantly messing up my fur.

"Well, there goes a mornings work." I said. Snowkit looked at me and purred. I knew I looked like a mess, but who cares.

"Ah well, let's go see what Whitestorm is doin'." Snowkit said, walking away without a response.

_Uhhh, can we at least try not to tick someone off? _

I ended up following, mainly so I could help Whitestorm not get to mad at Snowkit, but I doubt that it will come to that. I caught up with her just as they was starting to talk.

"You going to stay for our ceremony?" Snowkit asked him.

_Of course he'll stay! After all, I'm his niece._

"Yeah, I'll stay." Whitestorm said calmly. As I sat down, he eyed me."Wouldn't miss it."

"So, who do you think will be our mentor's?" Snowkit asked, probably thinking that the senior warrior may of overheard.

"I'm not sure." he started. Snowkit stared at the ground, obviously angry.

"But, I do know a few things. First off, it can't be Darkstripe, Tigerclaw, Lionheart or myself since we have appretices. Secondly, it won't be Longtail since he's too young or one of you moms." Whitestorm finished.

"So, that narrows it down to three possibilities, Mousefur, Willowpelt or Runningwind." I stated. I had known this for awhile and there is only one cat I want to be my mentor.

_This cat may be the younger of the three, but it's who I want. I want Runningwind as my mentor._

"Out of those three, Willowpelt's my favorite. I hope she is my mentor." Snowkit said excitedly, a fire in her eyes.

"Are you really thinking that you'll actually get her?" I asked, but I already knew the the answer.

"Of course. Foxkit, you can't get anywhere if you don't believe it's possible" Snowkit said before bounding away towards the apprentice's den.

"Yeah, Willowpelt is wonderful." Whitestorm said to himself. He probably didn't think I could hear him.

_Wait...is Whitestorm falling for Willowpelt? And so adds another mystery in my life._

I turned around to see Snowkit once again trying to get into the apprentice's den. I was about to say something when Bluestar came out. Confidence gleamed in her eyes. She looked around the clearing and soon her gaze fell on me. I looked up at her. I wasn't sure if I was looking right into her eyes, but once again, I didn't care. I stood up and walked toward the Highrock where she stood, watching me. Something told me this wouldn't be the last time this would happen and not in a good way. When I finally reach the foot of the rock, she jumped down and looked me right in my eyes.

"Foxkit" she said. I turned around fully so I could face her and sat down with my tail over my paws.

"Bluestar." I said calmly. I could feel the uneasiness between us after yesterday's little comotion between me and her.

"You think you're ready to become an apprentice?" she asked, her blue eyes holding their piercing gaze, but I kept up.

"I was ready yesterday, but another day to prepare is fine." I said, keeping up with her in this staring contest. I guess that is what it was, but at least I had plenty of expierience due to my dad always expecting me to stand up to him. Suddenly, her eyes closed and she smirked.

We'll see...but I know you'll do fine." She purred as she began to lick me, trying to get my fur down.

"Uhh..I don't think it will work. Mom already tried and the wind messed it up." I complained but Bluestar didn't care. She continued for a short time, but soon stopped.

"Don't worry, your initiation is going to start now." she said as she bounded up Highrock. I once again got excited, I couldn't wait.

"Snowkit." I whispered loud enough for her to hear. Her head popped out of the apprentice's den and she looked at me curiously. I motioned her to come here with my tail. She soon padded up to me, an annoyed look on her face.

"What?" she asked, glaring at me with those emerald eyes. "I was busy."

"Ready for our initiation?" I asked

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it's about to start."

"WHAT...I" she said but was cut short Bluestar.

"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here under the Highrock for a Clan meeting." Bluestar yowled. Soon, everyone began to come out of their dens.

_They probably didn't leave earlier because it's so cold._

After everyone had come, with Icepelt, Dawnflower and Tigerclaw in front, Bluestar started.

"As I said yesterday, Thunderclan needs more warriors. Luckily, we have two kits ready to become apprentices today." She said. I heard whispers of concerns, mainly concedering why we weren't apprentices yesterday. I didn't care. I watched as Bluestar bounded off Highrock and stood before Snowkit. Snowkit looked liked she was going to faint due to her excitement.

"Snowkit, you have reached the age of six moons old and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you've earned your warrior name, you'll be known as Snowpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior." Bluestar started. She began to look over the Clan until she stopped and looked back down at Snowpaw

"Willowpelt" Bluestar continued as said she-cat stood up and walked toward the center of the clearing. At this point, Snowkit looks like she is going to pass out for real this time, but she shakes it off.

"You are ready to take an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Adderfang and you have shown to be patient and kind and I expect you to pass all that you know onto Snowpaw." Bluestar finished. Snowkit...wait no, Snowpaw got up and touched noses with Willowpelt. She said something to her but I couldn't quite hear. They soon backed off and I stood up and padded up in front of Bluestar.

"Foxkit, like Snowpaw, you have reached he age of six moons old and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you've earned your warrior name, you'll be known as Foxpaw.I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior." Bluestar started. Like what she did to Snowpaw, she looked around the crowd, almost as if trying to spot my mentor, than looking back down at me.

"Runningwind." she said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt like jumping for joy. I heard pawsteps behind and looked back at the light tabby tom.I could also hear him purring, he seemed satisfied that I was his apprentice.

"You are also ready to take an apprentice. I had taught you all that I know and you have shown to be swift and loyal. I hope that you will teach these thing to my niece." Bluestar finished as she stepped away. I turned around and faced Runningwind. We touched noses as excited yowls echoed through the Clan.

"You ready to be an apprentice?" Runningwind asked as I looked into his amber eyes.

"Yes, I just hope that you can handle me." I purred as he pulled away from me.

"I think I'll do fine." He finished as he led to stand next to Snowpaw and listen to the other cats yowls of approval. I looked over and saw Graypaw yowling my name extra loud. It made my insides turn inside out, but I liked it.

_Finally, we are apprentices and we got the mentors we wanted. How could this get better? _

_

* * *

_Me: Finally, Foxpaw is an appretice  
Fox: Yep and I got Runningwind :)  
Me: Oh..and as for Runningwind, the book never officially said what color his eyes were, so I just chose to make them amber.  
Fox: By the way, what ever happened to Crystal?  
Crys: You can't get rid of me that easily, Erin  
Me: Darn, anyway in the next chapter, it's Foxpaw's first day as an apprentice.  
Crys: and boy does she make an impression  
Fox: Hey, whats that supposed to mean?  
Crys: All in due time you'll find out  
Fox: Can't wait  
Me: One more thing, we got our first review  
Crys:(sarcastically) Hooray!  
Me: Shut up and anyway, I would like to thank Cinderpaw11 for our first review.  
Crys: It's okay that you didn't review immediatedly, and thanks for being our fan  
Fox: and many more to come  
Crys: Ohh. and we know, she does have a crush. I find it pretty cute.  
Fox:...  
Me: Anywho, that wraps this up. Please review. I need constructive critisicism, just be nice about it.  
Fox: Remember, we own nothing but the plot and the OCs, everything else belongs to Erin Hunter  
Crys: I got it, that's why we call you Erin, because you like the name.  
Me: Sure, lets go with that. Bye  
Crys: Time to go tell Graypaw that you like him Fox  
Fox: Shut up..wait, no I don't. Uhh, what does it take to get a break?


	7. Ch6 The First Worst Day

I felt like I was at the top of the world. Like I could take down anyone. Until, everyone went back to their normal life, with a few 'congrats' on the side.

"Now what?" I asked Runningwind.

"What else,I show you around the forest." Runningwind said as we began to walk toward the entrance.

"Hold up, you two." a voice said. I turned around to see that it was Willowpelt with Snowpaw.

"What?" Runningwind asked impatiently. He sounded like an impatient kit waiting to be let out of the nursery.

"Well, since these two are friends, why don't we go together." Willowpelt finished. I noticed Runningwind look slightly embarrassed about not thinking that first.

"Sure,Foxpaw?" He asked.

"Fine with me."

"Then lets go. Just try to keep up." Runningwind finished as he ran through the entrance. I quickly followed, not caring if the others were following. I just kept running, trying to tract his scent. I wasn't able to pay attention to the scenery, though every now and again, I would have to stop to jump over a bigger branch. I reached a clearing soon and Runningwind was sitting there, waiting.

"Nice job keeping up." He said without turning around.

"What..was the...reason...for this?" I asked between breathes. I didn't realize it while I was running, but I felt tired.

"The scenery." Runningwind said calmly,"Look around."

I suddenly remembered and looked around. The light shining through the trees, lighting up all around it. The grass under paw felt warm due to the sun's ray. A light breeze swept over us. The forest was a lot like I pictured, only it was a lot bigger. I heard something and turned around, only to find Willowpelt and Snowpaw behind us. When they reached us, Snowpaw instantly sat down, already seeming exhausted.

"Runningwind, you shouldn't of done that. What if Foxpaw got lost." Willowpelt snapped.

"Relax, would ya. I knew they wouldn't get lost." Runningwind said as he stood up and looked at us.

"How?"

"I just did, anyway, where should we take them first?"

"I say we go to the Shadowclan border and go around till' we reach Riverclan." Snowpaw said.

"No, we should go to Riverclan first, then Fourtrees, the Windclan border and get to Shadowclan last." I retaliated.

_I just don't want to run into Firepaw and Graypaw. Dad already is doubting me not being friends with them. _

"Shadowclan!" Snowpaw snapped, obviously wanting to win.

"Riverclan." I said calmly. It was easy to hold out my anger at Snowpaw since most of the time, I won the arguments.

"I'm not letting you win this time." Snowpaw said as she pounced toward me.

"Roll to the right." Runningwind told me quickly. I listened and propelled myself to roll on the earth with Snowpaw ended up missing. She glared at me as I stood up.

"You guys aren't supposed to be fighting." Willowpelt said angrily."Since Snowpaw attacked, we'll take Foxpaw's route and go to Sunningrocks."

"Damn." Snowpaw whispered as our mentors began walking away. We began to follow. I would have stayed behind with Snowpaw, but it wasn't best to annoy her when she's sulking. I ran up ahead to the front with Runningwind while Willowpelt slowed down to walk with Snowpaw.

"I'm impressed with you fighting ability." Runningwind said," It must run in the family."

"Yeah." I said, obviously not excited.

_Sure, I love dad, but he always seem so dark. _

"Well anyway, we're almost there. What do you smell?" He asked, trying not to make me feel depressed. I began sniffing. An odd aroma hit my nose. It smelt salty and wasn't the greatest smell in the world.

"Fish?" I questioned, not being able to pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Yep, that's right." Runningwind said.

"Ulgh, what is that smell?" Snowpaw asked, trying to cover her nose while walking, but nothing worked.

"Fish." I said, looking back at her and purring at her frustration.

"How do Riverclan live with it." Snowpaw questioned, deciding just to give up on covering her nose.

"I don't..." I started, but stopped as the sun hit my eyes. I looked around and saw the border. The river looked like it went on forever. There were little trees here and the grass gave way to sand closer to the water.

"Wow." I said.

"I don't wow...Geez, Foxpaw, thanks for the help." Snowpaw joked, also astonished by the site.

"Ah, just shut up and breathe deeply." Runningwind purred. I listened and breathed. The scent of unknown cats was powerful. It also smelled more like fish and other things I didn't know yet.

"That's the smell of Riverclan. It will be strongest at the border." Willowpelt explained. I walked toward the river and looked into it. I saw shadows in it moving instantly away and a cat staring into the river.

"Hey,who else is staring into the river?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the river.

"Just you." Snowpaw answered.

"Then, this is..." I started

"Yourself." A new voice finished. I looked up. A gray queen was staring at me with blue eyes and she didn't look happy. I stepped back, hoping I hadn't crossed the border.

"Try not to bend over the river so much." She said," You'll scare away the fish."

"Sorry, didn't know." I apologized.

_Darn, my first day and I'm already in trouble _

"Don't over react, Mistyfoot." Runningwind said walking up so he stood beside me." It's her first day as an apprentice."

"Ahh Runingwind, it's been a while since I last saw you." Mistyfoot purred

"Yes. Foxpaw, this is Mistyfoot, one of the warriors from Riverclan." Runningwind said.

"Hi...Sorry I scared the fish." I said, trying to get on her good side

"It's alright. We'll still be able to find them." She said. I felt someone flanking me. I look over too see that it is Snowpaw.

"So, you're a Riverclan cat." Snowpaw started. I felt myself sweat-drop.

_Is she trying to get herself hurt? _

"Snowpaw, don't be rude." Willowpelt snapped, "I'm sorry Mistyfoot, she is just not having the greatest attitude today."

"It's okay. All cats find others from the other Clans odd when they first meet. So, where are you going." Mistyfoot asked.

"Around the Thunderclan border," I answered eagerly.

"Interesting, well, I don't want to keep you waiting. I'll see you at the Gathering" Mistyfoot said as she stood up and walked away from us. We once again began our journey around the border. We walked next to each other with me closest to the river.

"Cool, our first day out and we already know someone from another Clan" Snowpaw said," I hope I didn't offend her, it was an accident."

"I'm sure she was..." I started, but I stepped on a stone. My front paw slid and I ended up falling in the river. I felt the current sweep me away. I tried to swim against the current, but it was so strong I didn't stand a chance. The water messing up my vision. I had no choice but to keep my eyes closed. My head bobbed back to the surface. I opened my eyes to see Runningwind running beside the river, unsure of what to do.

"Help me!" I yowled before the current pushed me back down again. I felt myself struggling, trying desperately to find something to stop me. Water was rushing around me and I felt like any second, I was going to run out of air.

_This is it. I'm going to drown!_

Suddenly, I felt something and instantly grabbed it with my paws and I used my claws to get a grip on it. But, whatever this thing was, it wouldn't stop moving and writhing in my grip.

_What is this?_

As I felt like this was the end, I felt something grab my scruff and haul me. I felt my head come back to the surface. I gasped for breath and looked around, trying to figure out where I was.

"Thank Starclan, she's alright." I heard Runningwind say. I felt my paws hit the earth and I soon collapsed, trying to get my breath back. I tried to open my eyes again. I saw Runningwind in front of me. He soon began to lick me, trying to get me dry.

"Foxpaw, you're alright." I heard Snowpaw said despite the buzzing in my ears due to the water.

"Just be glad I got to her when I did. If I had been later, she could have been dead." I heard Mistyfoot say. I finally found the strength to sit up. I looked down at my paws and saw a dead creature in front of me. It was wet and slimy. There was no fur on it and it was hard to the touch. It had one black eye and claw marks all over it.

_This must have been what I grabbed on to._

"Never thought I would see the day that a Thunderclan cat would catch a fish." Mistyfoot said.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know what it was. And it was the only thing I could grab..And" I said, trying to apologize since fish were Riverclan prey.

"Relax."Mistyfoot said, stopping my rambling,"It wasn't intentional, so there is no reason to be mad. Just be glad you're alive."

"I am. Thanks for saving me." I said. I now knew that I was eternally grateful for her saving me.

"No problem, though next time, try not to panic. You only scratched me when I grabbed you."

"Again, sorry...So, What should we do with the fish?" I asked, but just as I stopped talking, my stomach growled.

"Ohh, yeah. We didn't get a chance to eat before we went out today." Snowpaw said. Once again, I sweat-dropped.

_Way too point out the obvious _

"Well, if you want it, Foxpaw, then go ahead." Mistyfoot said.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Go ahead."

With that, I leaned down and bit into the fish, not really caring if Runningwind approved or not. It was cold and slimy at first, but after I got pass the skin, it was warm. Before I knew it, I ate the entire thing.

"Foxpaw, don't forget to thank Starclan." Runningwind said.

"Sorry...Thank you Starclan for the life of this prey." I recited."But anyway, it wasn't that bad. I can understand you're love of it."

"Thanks for appreciating our prey choice. Now, I'll be on my way." Mistyfoot said," Try not to fall into the river again." She soon bounded off, towards her own territory.

"Well, with this over, we should keep going if you think you can keep going, Foxpaw." Willowpelt asked me.

"I'll be okay, just let me bury this real fast and we can keep going." I said as I stood up and began to dig, but I was still shaky from the river, so Snowpaw helped me. Afterwards, we began walking along the border. Apparently, the river carried me down most of the border between Thunderclan and Riverclan. So, we walked back through some trees until we came to another clearing. I looked over to see four tall oaks next to each other, surrounding something, but I couldn't tell what it was from this far away.

"That's Fourtrees. We'll be able to go there when the Gathering comes. Until then, let's keep going" Runningwind said as we began to walk off. But just as we left, I looked around and saw what appeared to be a cat chasing something. I watched as the cat soon got the animal and killed it.

_Was that a Windclan cat?_

"Hey, Foxpaw. Did you paws freeze or something?" Snowpaw yelled.

"Sorry." I said as I ran to catch up with them.

"What did you see anyways?"

"I think it was a Windclan cat chasing something."

"Really?"

"Probably a rabbit, they don't eat much else. Anyway come on, the Shadowclan border is next."

"Sweet."

We soon reached what looked like the border. The border was established by a long ,flat, black piece of the earth. As I looked, something whipped by us. I looked over to see a large creature coming toward us.

"Oh my gosh, we're going to die!" Snowpaw yowled as she dove for the undergrowth. I wanted to join her, but I realized that our mentors didn't look worried. I decided to stay and stand my ground. As the thing came closer, I got a better look at it. It was huge with shiny fur and huge black paws. It's eyes were yellow and glowed. As soon as it approached us, it ignored us and left. Snowpaw's head soon stuck out of the under growth.

"This is the Thunderpath. I acts as the border between Thunderclan and Shadowclan." Runningwind explained.

"And, what was that?" I asked as Snowpaw nervously came out of hiding.

"That was a monster. They run along these paths and will crush anything that gets in their way." Willowpelt said. I suddenly began to cough on the monster's stench.

_Whatever that smell is, it's worse than anything I've smelled before. _

"Let's keep going." Runningwind said as he led us back into Thunderclan territory. We soon stopped by a huge tree. I also realize that the sun will set soon.

"This is the Owl Tree." Runningwind said.

"I've heard of it. The elders say tat Owlstar, an old leader, learned to hunt by watching an owl." I said, proud of my knowledge.

"Well, he learned HOW the owl hunted." Willowpelt corrected.

"Whatever."

"Let's get back to camp before it gets to dark." Runningwind said. Once again, he led us through the forest. As we walked through the forest, I drank in the scents, trying to find out what was what. Before I knew it, we were back in camp. I looked and saw Graypaw and Firepaw eating.

"Go get yourselves something to eat. Tomorrow is when the real training starts." Runningwind said as he walked over to the fresh kill pile.

"Thank Starclan. I can sleep soon." I said.

"Tell me something I don't know. Though you've had a rougher day than me." Snowpaw said as we walked over to the fresh kill. I chose a squirrel and decided to talk to Graypaw and Firepaw. As always, Snowpaw was picky and was trying to decide what to have. I pointed to the other two apprentices, showing that I would be with them. Snowpaw nodded and I walked over toward them.

"Hi guys." I said, dropping my squirrel.

"Hi, Foxpaw...Uhh, you smell like Riverclan." Graypaw said, covering his nose.

"What happened." Firepaw asked innocently.

"I fell in the river."

"How?"

"I slipped."

"How?"

"I stepped on a stone."

"H...never mind."

"Good, now I'll eat if you don't mind."

"What was it like underwater?"

"It was wet."

"Really?"

"Yes,really. Now stop being sarcastic."

"Okay, let's just eat."

After we began eating. I noticed that Snowpaw had joined us. I finished my squirrel quickly and began to groom myself. Bluestar yowled, signaling the cats going to the Gathering to gather. I noticed Sandpaw and Dustpaw get up too.

_Figures _

After we had finished eating, I decided to share tongues with Snowpaw. I admit that it was weird at first, but I knew I would get used to it. After we finished, I stood and walked toward the nursery, but stopped myself.

_Right, I'm an apprentice now_

After that reminder, I walked over to the apprentice's den. It was nice inside, with moss lining everything. I began to move the moss, trying to make a good bed. After I finished, I walked around it a couple of times, trying to find a good spot. I laid down, not used to not having my mom there to keep me warm.

"Goodnight." I whispered.

"Goodnight, Foxpaw.

"Goodnight Graypaw"

"Goodnight Firepaw"

"Good..."

"No more goodnights!"

And with Snowpaw's snap, we went to sleep.

* * *

Me:Man, I'm tired  
Fox: Me too, you made me fall in a river.  
Crys:Aww, but it was still kind of funny  
Fox:X(  
Me: Anyway, thanks for being my fans and waiting so patiently for this.  
Crys: It was worth it, this Chapters good.  
Me: Agreed, so in the next chapter, Foxpaw begins her 'official' training  
Fox: Can't wait, now if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep  
(Fox exits)  
Crys: We can leave this place while we're talking?  
Me: Yep and BTW, I'm working on drawings of everyone.  
Crys:When they're finished, we'll put them up on deviantArt.  
Me: Till then, remember I own nothing but the OC's and the plot, everything else belongs to Erin Hunter  
Crys: I still want to know if that's you're real name  
Me: Maybe later, and one last thing. I'm going to start up another story, but I can't think of a title.  
Crys: The story is about me.  
Me: I don't need anything specific, but it's not going to be a Warriors fanfic. EI'm stickin' to this one  
Crys: So, if you've got any ideas, tell us in the reviews. Try to keep it vague.  
Me: And if no one gives any ideas, I'll just go with my gut.  
Crys: Bye, don't forget to review


	8. Ch7 Advice from the Strangest Places

I woke up to the sun hitting my eyes. I sat up and noticed that Sandpaw and Dustpaw had returned from the Gathering. I also saw that I was the only one awake.  
_  
Damn...I can't believe I woke up before them. I'll just steal Graypaw's spot tomorrow.  
_  
Since I had nothing else better to do, I decided to see what was going on in the clearing, but there was no one there other than Longtail, who was guarding the entrance.  
_  
Well..I've got nothing better to do. May as well bug Longtail. _

"What'cha doin'?" I asked as I walked over toward him. He had a angry glint in his eye, which slightly worried me.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked impatiently, wanting me to leave him alone.

"Well...It looks like you're standing guard." I teased, trying to drag the conversation on.

"It looks like you aren't blind after all." He said. I felt my fur rise due to my anger.

_Come on Foxpaw, don't try to get angry.  
_  
"Any-who, did you hear anything about the Gathering?" I asked. This time I didn't want to annoy him.

"I'm just as clueless about it as you are." Longtail sighed, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Something was bugging him, I could tell

"What's eating at your pelt?" I asked. He looked at me with a confused expression, but looked away quickly and stared at his paws.

"It's that kittypet." He snarled with anger choking his voice.

"Who? Firepaw?" I asked even though the answer was obvious.

"Yes, Firepaw!" He snapped and instantly stand up and moved so he was facing him. I looked up into his pale blue eyes, which showed nothing but hatred.

"How dare that kittypet beat me...A true Thunderclan cat would never lose to a kittypet. Damn...Damn him and all the kittypets." Longtail spat angrily, trying his best to keep his voice down. He went on like this for a little while, but stopped soon and returned to his original spot.

_I understand, Longtail. It must be frustrating to have lost to a kittypet._

"Foxpaw." Longtail started, suddenly becoming calmer. I looked at him. His eyes were closed and he had a content look on his face despite his previous actions. He turned to face me and opened his eyes. He looked just like when he was an apprentice. I remember those days well.  
**  
Flashback**

I walked out of the nursery and looked around the clearing. No one was there other than a pale tabby apprentice and a darker tabby warrior practicing battle moves it appeared.

"The apprentice you see is Longpaw." a voice behind me said. I spun around and noticed that it was Icepelt. She looked at me with impressed eyes.

"Someday, that will be you, practicing moves and learning how to be a warrior. You should go say hi." She finished as she walked away and towards Bluestar's den.

"Hey Foxkit." someone said. I once again spun around to see that it was Longpaw, motioning me to come over with his tail. I padded over to him and sat by the dark tabby, who I remembered was Darkstripe, Longpaw's mentor.  
"Focus, Longpaw." Darkstripe said calmly.

"Sorry. Watch this, Foxkit." Longpaw said as he displayed his battle moves to me. I didn't understand though why he chose me to watch.

_Probably because I was the only one outside. He just loves to show off._

"Nice form, Longpaw." Darkstripe praised. Longpaw's eyes shone with pride. He almost always had that look in his eyes. I was happy for him, but I knew that soon my eyes would shine with that same pride when I would be praised as an apprentice. However, it always seemed that he had something to be proud of, no matter his mood.

**End of Flashback **

"Just remember this." Longtail continued, snapping me out of my flashback. I turned back towards him and looked into his eyes again. I felt his tail wrap around mu haunches, but still keeping it's distance. I felt my face get hot due to my embarrassment.

"Don't be like your dad." He whispered. I couldn't believe my ears.

_I thought he liked my dad. Why doesn't he want me to be like him._

"I mean not entirely."

_Well, that's better._

" I just don't think you should try to be like him. You're a little too laid back and friendly to be like him. Though you do have you quirks that make you like him, do your friend a favor and try not to be too serious." He finished, still not taking his eyes off mine.

'I thought you didn't want me to be like my dad, not too serious?" I asked.

" Well, you're dad is a little too serious."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Hehe, anyway, can you do that?"

"Yeah, but why?"

" 'Cause when you're too serious, you can't have fun." He finished. As he finished, I heard rustling behind us. Apparently, he heard it to since we both turned around.

_Everyone is getting up_

"I'm going to go to sleep. Remember what I said." Longtail said as he walked away. I wanted to call him back, to make him explain his motives for telling me this, but I held my tongue. As I heard everyone get up, I laid down by the entrance, trying to figure it out. But in my haste, I fell back asleep.

* * *

Me: That's Ch.7  
Fox: Why is this one so short?  
Me: 'Cause it is  
Fox: Anyway, where's Crystal?  
Me: Beats me  
Fox:Can I go back to sleep?  
Me: You're in one of your 'ask a lot of questions' mood.  
Fox: Whatever, can I go to sleep?  
Me: Not until we get through the annoncements  
Fox: Find someone else to do them with

Fox Exits

Me: Well, this sucks. Who can help me with this?  
Snow: I will  
Me; Snowkit?  
Snow: That's my name, don't wear it out.  
Me: That joke is so overrated  
Snow: Whatev's. Anyway, we own nothin' but the plot and the OC's. Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter. And there is some OOC (Out of character).  
Me: In the next Chapter. It's the beginning of training.  
Snow: Will someone fall in the river?  
Me: No, that's all I'll say. Sorry that this is short, I was in a rush.  
Snow; Yeah, she had senior friends to say goodbye to.  
Me: I'm going to miss those guys. (starts anime crying)  
Snow: Aw.. you're gonna get me wet. Until next time bye. And don't forget to check out our profile. There's a poll. BYE.


	9. Ch8 A Reason? pt1

"Foxpaw...Foxpaw." someone said. I opened my eyes and spun around to see Runningwind staring at me with confused eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked me as I sat up and stretched.

"Well...sleeping." I answered.

"You better explain later. Right now, let's go." He said as he walked out of the clearing.

"Hey, wait up." I yowled and bounded after him. I ran until I was in the small clearing where he stopped yesterday, the little clearing. I looked around and couldn't see him.

_Well, I can't see him...I'll just try to find him by his scent._

I breathed in as much air as I could. I could smell him.

"Huh Huh... Next time, don't breathe in as much." I said to myself. This time I just used my nose and began to follow his scent. I closed my eyes so nothing would distract me. Suddenly, I ran into something.

"Ow." I spat. "watch where you're.." I looked and saw that I ran into a tree.

_Figures  
_I sniffed around the tree and figured that Runningwind must have climbed it. I stood on my hind paws, trying to reach up toward the branches, but I wasn't even close to reaching it. I stepped down and tried jumping from a standing start. That only got me a splintered front paw.

"Damn." I spat as I grabbed the splinter with my teeth and started to pull. It didn't take much to get it out. I spat the splinter out of my mouth. I backed up a fox-length away from the tree, noticing little red marks where I stepped.

_I'll just find Runningwind and then I can worry about my paw._

I ran toward the tree and sprang with all my strength. I felt myself land on something. Opening my eyes, I looked down and saw the tree branch.

_I did it. I jumped up here._

"Now, I just got to find Runningwind." I said as I jumped up to another branch and another and another. I finally reached a bigger branch that I knew could hold my weight for a while. I sat down and looked at my paw. It looked a lot worse. Bark had clogged up the hole and dried blood covered the surrounding area as new blood came out slowly from open spots.

"Uh, Runningwind. Where are you?" I asked. I looked up at the sky. I could only see the branches and the leaves above me. A light breeze hit my pelt and shifted the branches. It was really peaceful. Suddenly, I heard something move behind me. I spun around and unsheathed my claws.

_Yeah. I'm an apprentice with no battle experience. If this is an intruder, I'm dead. _

"It's just me." a familiar voice said as Runningwind popped his head out from the other side of the tree. He jumped over a few branches and sat down on the branch in front of me.

'Well, you seem alright. Anything bad happen." He asked. I held up mypaw for him to see.

"Ouch" He said, "Let me help." He grabbed the bark with his teeth and lightly pulled. I whimpered in pain, but held my tongue. He soon got the bark off and knocked a leaf off it's branch with his paw. He took the leaf and put it over my cut and took the two ends and stuck them together. How he did it, I don't know.

"That will hold up until we go back to camp." He said, "Now, I want to know why you were asleep in front of the entrance."

"Well, I got up early." I started.

"Why?"

"Because the sun woke me up. So anyway, I got up and talked to Longtail."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to annoy him. After that, he began to rant on about how much he hates Firepaw."

"Wh- Nevermind, I already know the answer to that."

"Yeah. So anyway, he suddenly became serious..."

"That's a new one."

"I know. So anyway, he told me to not act like Tigerclaw and I don't know why. While I was trying to figure it out, I must of fell asleep. And that's what happened."

"I see."

"Do YOU have any idea why he told me that?"

"It might have something to do with something that happened before you were born."

"What's that?"

"Ask him about it. Let's go back to Camp so we can fix that paw up." And with that, we began to get out of the tree. It was a lot easier to get out of it than it was to get in it. He helped me to the clearing.

"What's going on here?" Mousefur asked as we walked in.

"Foxpaw hurt her paw." Runningwind said.

"Not true. You made me hurt my paw." I retaliated.

"Whatever." He said as he led me to the medicine cat's den.

"What happened?" Spottedleaf asked as we walked into the den.

" I hurt my paw." I said, holding up my paw.

"It won't be hard to fix that up." She said confidently. "Runningwind, you won't have to wait long, so just stay in the clearing." He nodded and left me with Spottedleaf. She spun around and picked up a certain herb and began chewing it into a pulp. I was forced to sit there and watch. It reminded me of my sister, Weaselkit.

**Flashback **

"Are you still hanging around there, Weasel?" I asked as I padded up to my sister. She was watching Spottedleaf treat Frostfur from a wound.

"Yeah." She answered, not looking at me. This pretty much happened every day. She would sit outside the medicine cat's den and watch Spottedleaf all day.

"You should really become a medicine cat." I said.

"You think I could?" She asked.

"Yea, you would be good at it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really!"

"Yes, yes.. For the last time, YES."

"Oh..sorry."

"It's fine. Just don't ask again."

"Really."

"That's it. Get over here." I yelled. She ran away from me. I chased her around the clearing. It was the middle of the day so no one would be there. I finally caught her and pinned her down.

"I ought to.." I started.

"Get off of your sister." Someone said. I looked over and saw Dawnflower glaring at me. Frustrated, I got off of her and walked toward the nursery, pouting.

_At least when she becomes a medicine cat, I won't have to put up with sleeping with her._

**End of Flashback **

"Foxpaw..Can you hear me." I looked over to see Spottedleaf looking at me confused.

"Sorry, What did you say?" I asked.

"I asked you where you got this injury?"

"Well, I got it from trying to climb a tree."

"Why were you trying to climb a tree?"

"Because I was looking for Runningwind."

"Was he in the tree?"

"Yea."

"You'll live. Now go back to training." She finished. I looked at my paw and saw that she just put some sort of poultice and some cobwebs on it.

"You sure I can walk on it?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just don't climb any trees."

"Okay, bye." I walked out of the den, struggling to keep my balance. Runningwind was sitting by the entrance.

"There you are. What took you so long?" He asked me.

"You can't rush a medicine cat. So, anyway, we can't climb trees until my paw is healed." I said.

"Well, until then...Let's go practice stalking."

"You sure I can do it."

"Yeah, if anything, this will test you even more." We began to go back to the little clearing. When we got there, I could see the little red spots I left.

"All right. Show me what you've got." he said. I crouched down, trying to stay centered and keep my balance.

_Luckily, I've got some experience from sneaking up on Snowpaw when we were still kits. _

"Try getting your bottom lower. You look like a duck." He purred. I grunted and lowered myself while still keeping my balance.

"That's pretty good despite that injury." He praised. I stood back up and nodded to him. Suddenly, something rustled in the bushes.

"I'll show you how a warrior does it." He said teasingly as he crouched down.

"Well, you don't have an injury." I retaliated as I crouched down, trying to copy what Runningwind was doing. But it was hard, with my injury and all. When I crawled under the bushes, I saw what it was. A rabbit had our back to us, nibbling on some grass.

"Rabbits will normally hear you before anything, so stay quiet." Runningwind whispered into my ear. I nodded and kept in my position while Runningwind crept closer to it. When he was about a tail-length away, he pounced. But the rabbit must've heard him as it spun around and ran away from Runningwind...and right towards me.

"Get it , Foxpaw." Runningwind yowled at me. I crouched down and unsheathed my claws. I pounced just as it was a mouse-length in front of me. I sank my claws into it's fur while we struggled on the ground. I could feel the blood pounding in my ears as if I was in battle. Finally, I saw it's neck and moved toward it. I bit into it as hard as I could and it soon stopped struggling. I stood up and dropped it to the ground. It was dead.

"Wow...First a fish then a rabbit. What's next?" Runningwind joked. "But seriously, great job. I'm very impressed. Let's get it back to camp." After we had thanked Starclan for it, we made our way back to camp. When we got there, I heard astonished gasps and mews from everyone.

"Did Foxpaw catch that?"

"Isn't that something. She's one of the newest apprentices."

"I felt myself bask in the praises. It felt good to have astonished the clan in the first two days as an apprentice with such amazing feats.

"Why don't you take this to the elders." Runningwind asked.

"All right." I answered. I dragged the rabbit to the elder's den. When I got there, the elders were talking about something that happened in the past.

"And that's why I think that Shadowclan attacked." Halftail finished as I got there.

"Hungry?" I asked them. When they saw the rabbit, they looked at me and were slightly angry.

"What?' I asked. I honestly had no idea why they looked so mad.  
"Did you go toward the Windclan border?" Dappletail asked me.

"Uhh..no."  
"Then, where did you get this rabbit."

"In our territory. I'm sure there isn't any Windclan smell on it, so it couldn't of come from there."

"Yep, the apprentice is right."

"So, who caught it?" Someone asked.

"Runningwind and I."

"Really? How?"

"He attempted to catch it, but it ran away from him and towards me. So, I jumped on it and killed it."

"You're quite an impressive apprentice." Patchpelt said. "Especially since you haven't been through much training."

"I just trust my instincts."

"That's good. If only that one apprentice had."

"Who?" I asked. They looked at each other with nervous looks, almost as if they didn't want to tell me.

"Let's just tell her." Smallear said.

"Fine." Patchpelt said calmly. "Foxpaw.."

"Yes."

"That apprentice was your older sister."

* * *

Me: Oh my gosh. Slight plot twist.  
Fox:0_0  
Crys: She's still in shock.  
Me: Anyway, FANS, we have heard your cries.  
Crys: How?  
Me: I'm special. Anyway, I know a lot of you are thinking. 'Why the heck would Longtail say that in Chapter 7?'  
Crys; It will all be revealed in... the next chapter.  
Me: It's a sob story. I already have it planned.  
Fox: I have an older sister?  
Crys: Yep  
Fox: Then where is she?  
Me: It will be revealed in the next chapter.  
Crys: We own nothing other than the plot and the OC's. Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter.  
Me: Please check out my profile. I really need help with the poll.  
Crys: Once again, it involves the title for a new story.  
Me: And...it's may not be warriors.  
Crys: I thought it was my story.  
Me: It might. Until next time, don't forget to R&R.  
Crys: Rest and relax since it's summer.  
Me: No, Rate and Review.  
Crys: Ohh. Okay.  
Fox:Bye


	10. Ch9 A Reason? pt2

"WHAT?" I yowled, frustrated that they were lying. "That can't be true. I ...I don't believe it." I couldn't. I felt my insides flip.

_This can't be true. This can't be true._

"Well, it's true." Patchpelt said calmly.

"If that's true, then where is she?" I asked, calming down a little.

"She's in..." Dappletail started.

"How about you let me tell the story." A new voice said. I turned around to see Longtail standing behind me. The elders whispered among themselves, saying things I couldn't make out.

"Fine by us." Halftail said.

"Very well. Foxpaw, follow me." With that, he spun around and walked toward dirtplace. Despite the possibility of someone seeing us talk, I followed him. When we reach dirtplace, he headed in the direction of camp. We ended up on Highrock.

_How this happened, I don't know.  
_  
"So, what is the story of this 'supposed' sister of mine?" I asked.

"She was very real. See, before you were born, an accident happened."

"What was it?"

"Your mother had an early birthing. At first, everyone thought that the kits weren't going to make it, but one did. While she was born, you and your siblings weren't ready yet."

"So..you're saying that she was born earlier than expected?"

"So I've heard."

"How did that happen?"

"Only Starclan knows."

"It still doesn't make sense."

"I don't know all the details, okay. Something happened and you had an older sister." Longtail said frustrated.

"Okay..so, what was her name?"

"Easy, her name was Morningkit."

"So, what happened to her."

"Well..."

**Flashback (Longtail's/ Longpaw's POV) **

I was walking to the medicine cat's den, hurt after yet another battle between us and Shadowclan. The only reason this was going on was that Shadowclan kept invading our territory. But I couldn't help but here the conversation going on behind the Highrock. Out of plain curiosity, I walked over too see what was going on.

"Come on, the plan is fool-proof ." Tigerclaw said. I also noticed that Redtail, Lionheart, and Bluestar were there too,

"I still think it is too risky, Tigerclaw. Someone could get hurt." Redtail said.

"Do we have any other options?" Tigerclaw said, " No, we've got to act, otherwise we will keep getting casualties."

"Tigerclaw does have a point, but there must be other ways to deal with Shadowclan." Lionheart said.

"And how's that? Look, it's simple. We send someone around their territory, which will force them to draw a bigger patrol. Once that has happened, that cat leads them straight to us and we attack." Tigerclaw said.

"I don't think sending someone into their territory would be very smart. Plus, not even Shadowclan would bring a big patrol for just one cat." Bluestar said.

" That's true." Tigerclaw said, looking off to the side. I hoped he hadn't seen me, but if he had, then I didn't notice.

"Tigerclaw, if we decided to do this, who would we send there?" Bluestar asked. I couldn't believe it.

_Is she actually going to go along with this?_

"Well, I was thinking that we should send Morningpaw." He answered.

"Why her?"

"Because almost everyone else have received casualties and she is one of the few who hasn't. Plus, she does a very good job of hiding."

"I'll think about it." Bluestar finished. Tigerclaw seemed satisfied and smirked at Redtail and Lionheart.

"Are you sure about this, Bluestar/" Redtail asked.

"No, it's very risky, plus someone could get hurt. But, it's worth thinking about." She answered calmly. After that, everyone left. I had to sneak into the medicine cat's den to avoid being seen. I think I succeeded, even though I could feel someone glaring at me. When I got into Spottedleaf's den, she was currently trying to stop Whitestorm's wound from bleeding.

"Ohh, Longpaw, you're in bad shape. Just hang on, okay?" Spottedleaf said, surprised by the number of my wounds.

"I'll...try." I said shakily. I figured that the blood loss was getting to me. Suddenly, the world became fuzzy.

_Feeling...awful. What's...happening...to me?_

With that, I passed out.

I woke up. The sun was shining in my eyes. I looked around and saw that I was still in the medicine cat's den, but I had been moved. I noticed that Whitestorm was awake and noticed me wake up.

"Phew..you had us worried there, Longpaw." He said.

"What happened?" I asked him. It was still foggy to me.

"Spottedleaf said you passed out due to blood loss and that a little rest will make you as right as rain.

"Ahh...Anything else?"

"Yes, I heard that Bluestar decided to go with Tigerclaw on something. Whatever it is, I have no idea."

"No. No, you're not serious are you?" I asked, worried about Morningpaw.

"Yea, I think. Why? Do you know what it is?"

I explained to him what I heard. When I finished, he seemed shocked.

"It's a bad plan, but Bluestar probably didn't have any choice but to go with it." Whitestorm said, still sounding a little shocked.

"How's that possible? Can't she just do what she wants?" I asked, trying to stand up.

"Don't stand up, you'll just start bleeding again." Whitestorm said," And, it's not that simple."

"Well, it should be." I retaliated. As I said it, I saw Morningpaw walk by the den, looking ready for a fight.

"Morningpaw, wait." I yowled. She heard me and spun around. Seeing me, she walked into the den and sat down in front of me and Whitestorm.

"What is it, Longpaw? I'm trying to get ready for my mission." She asked.

"Are you really going to do it?" I asked, looking into her green eyes.

"Yes. Just think about it, Longpaw. If I succeed and we stop fighting with Shadowclan, I'll finally have the respect I deserve."

"From who?"

"Who else, Tigerclaw."

"What if you get hurt?"

"You worry to much. Don't worry, I'll be fine, okay."

"Okay."

"Good. Now I should probably get going. Bye guys." She finished as she left. I couldn't believe her. How can she just go into this, believing she will be all right.

_It was always like this. She always goes into things thinking that she'll come out all right._

I listened as Bluestar gathered the warriors needed to go for the mission. When everyone was leaving, I noticed Morningpaw wink at me.

_Something bad is going to happen. I know it._

I looked over and saw that Whitestorm had fallen back asleep, probably because of his wound from yesterday. Taking advantage of the situation, I once again tried to stand up, succeeding this time. I looked outside and saw that Bluestar left a couple of warriors, but they were all facing the entrance, talking to one another. Using my experience, I snuck around the medicine cat's den and the nursery and made my way toward dirtplace. When I made it, I walked toward the Shadowclan border, trying to go as fast as I could without opening any of my wounds. When I reached there, I only opened up two of my wounds. Also, everything was okay at the moment. As I crept up closer too the Thunderpath, I saw that the Thunderclan warriors were a couple of fox-lengths away from me. I looked over the Thunderpath too see that everything was going to plan. Morningpaw actually had a part of the Clan chasing her and she was running straight toward where the patrol was. I watched as she began to cross the Thunderpath, but the Shadowclan cats weren't following.

_Why aren't they following...No._

The next thing I knew, I heard the sound of a monster as it raced down the Thunderpath. Looking to see if there were any more, thankfully there weren't, I ran onto the Thunderpath and toward where Morningpaw had been seen. As I got closer, I could hear the Thunderclan warriors, murmuring questions.

"Is that Longpaw?"

"Isn't he supposed to be at camp?"

"What happened to Morningpaw?"

When I reached the last place anyone saw her, I couldn't believe what I saw. There she lay, covered in her own blood. Her limbs in a stretched out position due to running. She lay before me, broken, beaten and dead.

_Why didn't I stop her? I should have tried harder._

"I knew it." I whispered as I lowered my head. Soon, everyone had noticed and a few joined me on the Thunderpath.

"What have I done?' I heard Bluestar whisper.

"It's not entirely your fault." I whispered back, " Personally, I blame Tigerclaw."

Thunderclan cats soon came and took Morningpaw's body off the Thunderpath, while some helped me walk back to camp. I didn't notice or cared what had happened to Shadowclan. I just knew that I had lost my best friend...and my crush to death and it was all Tigerclaw's fault.

**End of Flashback: He said the story while having the flashback.**

**Foxpaw's POV **

"And that's what happened." Longtail said. I had my face in my paws, trying to fight back tears. When I thought I was good, I popped my head back up.

"Wow, I never would of guessed." I said, my voice still chocked up with sadness.

"Well, it's true."

"Is that why you told me not to be like Tigerclaw?"

"Yes. He killed his own daughter in cold blood. I'll never forgive him for that and I don't want anyone else to be like him. That's why I told you that."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. Morningpaw is in Starclan, looking down on us."

"Wondering why she didn't believe you?"

"I don't know. But anyway, it's getting late, you should go eat."

"Sure, you'll be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Longtail said. I turned around and left, noticing that he just stared at the stars. When I got to the fresh-kill pile, there wasn't much left. I just took a mouse and ate it quickly. When I got into the apprentice's den, everyone was asleep except for Snowpaw.

"Did you hear? Ravenpaw caught a snake." She said.

"That's great." I said. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just something I didn't expect."

"What's that?"

"I might tell you later." I said as I walked over to my bed, "Good night."

I didn't hear anything else, just the sound of my heartbeat as I fell asleep.

_I hope Longtail's okay. I would hate it if Snowpaw or Graypaw died just because of a bad battle plan. I just hope it doesn't happen again. _

_

* * *

_

Me: That was so SAD (Starts anime crying)  
Crys: Don't worry. She is all right.  
Me:I know, but still.  
Crys: Relax, 'cause we meet her in the next chapter.  
Me: How do you know?  
Crys: I have sources.  
Me: Anyway, theres your answer.  
Crys: Now you guys can stop over thinking of why Longtail said it.  
Me: This just proves that Tigerclaw's an awful father.  
Crys: Yet, you love him.  
Me: She means me, and yes.  
Crys: We own nothing but the OCs and the plot. Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter.  
Me:Where's Fox?  
Crys: In the next chapter, remember?  
Me: Oh yeah. Bye everyone.  
Crys: Bye and thanks for reading our story.  
Me: OMG: You're thanking them?  
Crys: I can be nice...when I want to.  
Me: Okay..and also, I have little descriptions of my OCs in my profile.  
Crys: We have Foxpaw, Snowpaw, Dawnflower, Icepelt, Weaselkit and Morningpaw at the moment.  
Me: We'll add more later.


	11. Ch10 The Gift of Dreams

I woke up and saw that I wasn't in Thunderclan anymore. I looked around. I was standing on a rock at least two fox-lengths above the ground. The rock was surrounded by four large trees. It had a pleasant feeling to it, almost as if nothing bad had happened here.

"Where am I? Is anyone here?" I yowled, but I didn't get an answer. Suddenly, I felt like someone was behind me. I spun around and saw something move behind a bush. I unsheathed my claws.

_Once again, if this is an invader I'm doomed._

"Who's there?" I asked. A she-cat walked out from her hiding place. She looked a little older than me...at least five moons. She was blue with black tabby stripes that ran down her back and tipped her tail. Her paws were a lighter color than her stripes and she had green eyes.

"Relax." She said as she jumped up on the rock and stood before me. I also saw stars in her fur.

_Wait...stars in her fur? Than, that means that..._

"I'm a member of Starclan, so there's no need to worry." She said calmly.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Morningpaw."

"What! Then that means you're..."

"Older sister." She finished.

"Well, yea."

"I called you here 'cause you doubted my existence. I figure you believe now, right?"

"Yeah." I said, absolutely dumbfounded.

_Note to self, always listen to elders_

"So, is it true that it was Tigerclaw's fault that you died."

"Yes, it is. More than you could possibly figure."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."

**Flashback: Morningpaw's POV**

"Morningpaw, wake up." A voice up. I opened my eyes, instantly blinded by the sun. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tigerclaw glaring at me.

"Get up." He said firmly. He was always like this, so I ended up getting used to it. I stood up and stepped out of the apprentices den and walked out into the clearing.

"You need to get ready."

"For what? Last tome I checked, you weren't my mentor."

"For your mission."

"What mission?" I said, instantly getting interested. He explained his plan. At first, I found it ridiculous.

"You expect me to lead Shadowclan toward the border? They'll catch up to me before I can make it." I said, surprised that he would choose ME for this.

"You are one of the few cats able to do it." He answered.

"Can't someone else do it? Like Runningwind, he's fast."

"He's also injured."

"There's NO way I could do this? It's a bad idea, Dad." I finished, suddenly terrified.

_I'm in for it now_

"Well." He started, but leaned down toward my ears so I could only hear.

"Screw this up and you know what will happen." He spun around and left me sitting there.

_If I go, I could die, but if I don't_

"Morningpaw." Someone yowled, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realized that I must of walked forward while I was thinking. Looking over, I saw Longpaw laying in the medicine cat's den. Trying my best to look happy, I padded over to him. When I got to him, I noticed that Whitestorm was next to him.

"What is it Longpaw. I'm trying to get ready for my mission." I asked.

"Are you really going to do it?' Longpaw asked. I wanted to say 'no' so bad that it was choking me. But, I could feel Tigerclaw's glare burning my back.

_I have no choice. I'll have to lie...to protect Longpaw. _

"Yes. Just think about it, Longpaw. If I succeed and we stop fighting with Shadowclan, I'll finally have the respect I deserve." It was the best excuse I could think of. '

"From who?" He asked, getting suspicious. I could feel Tigerclaw staring at me even more intensely.

_I have done it now._

"Who else, Tigerclaw." I said.  
_  
Shit, worst idea EVER  
_  
"What if you get hurt?" He asked.

"You worry too much. Don't worry, I'll be fine, okay."

"Okay." He said sadly, obviously still worried about me.

"Good. Now I should probably get going. Bye guys." I finished as I spun around and left them.  
_  
Agh, I should've told him.  
_  
I barely paid attention to Bluestar, more concerned about why I didn't tell him. We soon left after Bluestar finished. I stayed behind everyone,  
trying to not be noticed.  
_  
Okay, I'll just get out of this alive, then Longpaw will trust me a little more.  
_  
We eventually reached the Thunderpath. Everyone crouched down except me and Bluestar.

"Do you understand what you're doing?" She asked, almost as if asking me if I wanted to back down.  
_  
I can't back down now. Besides either way, I'll end up in the medicine cats den.  
_  
"Yeah, I know." I said calmly.

"May Starclan give you strength." With that, Bluestar crouched down with the others, shooting me a worried glance. I walked up to the front of  
the group and looked over the Thunderpath. It was empty and there wasn't a single monster. I jumped up onto the Thunderpath and began to cross it. Suddenly, I felt an emptiness in my chest...like this was the last time I would ever be on Thunderclan ground.  
_  
I feel awful. I fell like...today's the day I will die. Yeah...I'm going to die today, on this mission.  
_  
"Before I go, I love you mom." I said. I could hear the whispers of confusion, but I didn't care. I walked across the rest of the path and landed on Shadowclan territory. There were barely any trees. There was mainly marshland. I felt exposed, like the whole clan could see me. I also could barely walk, due to the muddy ground. I crept around, trying to find some way to get their attention. I breathed in and smelled cats coming toward me.  
_  
A patrol. Perfect.  
_  
I knew that they would notice me, but I wanted to give them a reason to chase me. I looked around and saw what looked like a frog, hopping around. An idea hit me. I smirked, knowing this was fool-proof. I lowered myself onto the ground and crept forward. I knew that Shadowclan mainly hunted at night since there was barely any cover and that was when their prey came out. Why this frog was awake, I don't know. I crept slower, getting closer to it. I was almost on top of it.

"Hey!" A voice yelled. The frog hopped away, but that wasn't my main concern. I looked over to see a patrol of seven cats. I recognized them as Blackfoot, Clawface, Stumpytail, Boulder, Brownpaw, Wetpaw and Littlepaw.

"What are you doing on Shadowclan territory? Hunting, no less." Blackfoot said as the patrol got closer. I stood up, getting ready to run. It was a pretty big patrol, plus having the deputy in it made it more than it needed to be.

"What are you going to do about it?" I said teasingly. I noticed them getting angrier from my comment.

"This might be a trick, to get us to chase her." Boulder said calmly.

"It might." Blackfoot said.

"Whatever you say, crow-food eaters." I said, adding venom to the last part. That got to them. They began chasing me toward the border, just like the plan. I had them right where I wanted them. When I reached the Thunderpath, I saw Longpaw waling toward the group. I jumped on the Thunderpath without looking.

"Long..." I started but was interrupted when something hit me, hard. After that, everything went dark.  
**  
End of flashback (She said these things while the flashback was running.  
****Foxpaw's POV  
**  
"Wow, that's tough." I said, astonished by her side of the story.

"I know, but I'm glad it's all over."

"Why do I need to know all this." I asked. She closed her eyes, seeming concerned.

"There are many reasons. I might tell you later if you can do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor?"

"I need you to tell all that I've told you to Longtail."

"Do you think he'll listen to me?"

"He will, just tell him I visited you in a dream."

"Okay, anything else."

"Yes, whatever you do, don't trust your father. Otherwise, you'll end up like me. Beaten, broken and alone."

"You aren't alone."

"Not now, but I was on that cold, dark day." Morningpaw started. She stood up and looked at me, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Now, go back to Thunderclan." She finished as she touched my nose to hers. I suddenly felt like the world was falling. I opened my eyes and looked around, realizing that I was back in Thunderclan.  
_  
Phew, It's good to be home. _

* * *

Me: The saddness. It hurts.  
Crys: Quit it, we have more important things you know.  
Me: I know, maybe we should get..  
Crys: We are NOT getting HIM into this.  
Me: Aww...I can't use his name as a pun.  
Crys: And here I thought you liked him.  
Me:...  
Crys: Anyway, we have good news.  
Me:and bad news.  
Crys: the good news is that we have pictures for the OCs  
Me: They're on deviantArt  
Crys: There are links to the pictures in our profile.  
Me: the bad news is...  
Crys: The bad news is that once you click on the links, it gets you into our account on deviantArt.  
Me:We'll just log out.  
Crys: But, if we forget, PLEASE don't mess with it.  
Me: We expect you to be mature about it.  
Crys: We are?  
Me: Anyway, in the next chapter, Foxpaw will talk to Longtail.  
Crys: And we get a little Longtail X Morningpaw fluff.  
Fox: Can't wait.  
Me: Bye and don't forget to rate and review.  
Fox: We only own the OCs and the plot.  
Me: Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter.  
Crys: We give tigerclaw such a bad name don't we?  
Me; Yep.


	12. Ch11 Melting Secrets

I pondered on whether or not to go back to sleep. This whole dream thing was making me jumpy, almost as if I was going to get sucked back into Starclan. Careful not to wake anyone up, I looked outside. No good, Tigerclaw was guarding the entrance. If I went out there now, he would get suspicious. Having no other alternative, I pad back over toward my nest. As I was walking, Graypaw rolled over at just the wrong time and I tripped over him. I now was laying across his chest. I felt my fur heat up from embarrassment.  
_  
Thank goodness no one awake to see this.  
_  
As I got up to him, he stretched his paws up and began swiping the air.

"Take that and that." He said. I sweat-dropped.  
_  
He talks in his sleep. I'm not sure whether to feel awkward or think that it's cute._

With the oddness over, I laid down in my nest.

"Ow, darn it." A voice said. I looked over to see that it was Graypaw, awake and staring at his paw.  
_  
Probably hurt it from "'fighting'  
_  
"Whats wrong?" I asked. He looked over at me, looking surprised, but that look quickly vanished.

"I wrecked my paw." He said calmly.

"You probably scraped on the upper part of the den."

"How do you know?"

" 'Cause, I got up earlier and you were swiping your paws in the air, 'fighting someone.' "

"In my sleep?" He asked. I nodded.

"I don't do that." He said, pouting, not believing me.

"Yes, you do. I saw you."

"Prove it." He challenged.

_There's only one way I can. Shoot, I'll have to tell him that I fell on him.  
_  
"All right. Do you feel a pain in your chest?" I asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just do you?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, yeah I do."

"You see.." I started.

"What?" He interrupted.

"Let me talk. Anyway, you see, I was walking back to my nest and when I was walking, you rolled over and got in my way and I tripped." I said embarrassingly, staring at the ground.

"So, basically, you fell on me?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, how do I know it was you?"

"My nest is the only one in this direction." I said. He looked around and a embarrassed look crept over his face. I smirked, glad to know he finally believed me. Suddenly, he began purring. I probably looked confused.  
_  
What so funny?  
_  
"If this really happened the way you say it, then, couldn't you have stopped yourself from falling on me?" He said slyly. I could feel myself blushing.  
_  
Ohhh...crap  
_  
"No...I was surprised and your paws got in the way..." I said and rambled on, trying to say quiet but still keeping my point. But, he just sat there,  
smirking at me. Finally, I stopped.

"Face it. I figured it out. You like me, don't ya?" He purred confidently. I just stared at him, unsure of what to say.  
_  
Damn, I'm dead. Now, what am I going to do.  
_  
"Uhhh...well, I.." I said, tripping over my words, nervousness choking me.

"Fine, don't tell me." He started. I stared at him with a confused expression.

"But, since you won't tell me, you'll just come with me and Firepaw training tomorrow." He finished.

"Actually." I started. I would only object to this since I have no idea what Runningwind and I were doing tomorrow.

"Then, tell me if it's true." He interrupted. I didn't know what to do. He had me trapped. Either I tell him that I like him or I go training with him  
tomorrow and he would probably get me to talk then.  
_  
What am I going to do?What am I going to do?What am I going to do?  
_  
"I'm waiting." He said teasingly. I just stared at the ground, still unable to make up my mind. Then, an idea popped into my mind.

_Yes, it's perfect  
_  
"All right, I'll tell you." I started. He looked at me surprised, probably due to my decision.

"But, it's too crowded here. Someone could wake up. I say I tell you tomorrow. Deal?" I said. He looked away, pondering whether or not to accept my offer.

"Fine, but one way or another, I'll find out." Graypaw said. I smirked in my mind.  
_  
Even more perfect. He fell for it._

"Then, it's decided." I said, "Till then, night." I curled up and soon began trying to go back to sleep despite my earlier concerns. Suddenly, I felt something warm brush up against my fur lightly. Confused, I opened my eyes and looked over. What I saw made my raise up slightly. Graypaw was laying next to me.

"You didn't think I wouldn't try to get you to talk before tomorrow." He purred. I also noticed a half-smirk, half-smile on his face.  
_  
Jerk  
_  
"Maybe." I stuttered. His half-smile vanished and became a full smirk.

"Whatever you say." He whispered. Closing his eyes, he finally seemed like he was going to sleep. Relaxing a little,I once again, tried to go back to sleep. I was almost fully asleep, until something brushed against my tail. I gasped slightly and turned around to see that it was Graypaw's tail.

"Graypaw." I hissed. I heard him giggling at my frustration. I glared at him. I may like him, but that doesn't mean that I can't be angry with him. He looked up at me with innocent eyes. This just made me angrier.

"What?" He said sweetly, teasingly almost. I also could feel his tail wrapping around mine. I tried to pull my tail away from his, but he had a secure grip on it.

"You're a jerk, you realize that?" I said angrily, trying to control my anger. He looked at me with a confused expression while his tail held mine in place.

"What are you talking about?" He said, the sweetness still having a grip on his voice. This time, he took the next step. He placed his paw on mine. I instantly pulled away from him, but he kept trying until I ended up rolling onto my side.

"Gosh, Graypaw. Quit." I snapped, quiet enough so that no one else would wake up. I heard him take in quick, sharp breaths. I looked at him and saw that he was going into a giggle fit. He had his face in his paws, trying his best not to wake anyone up. I sat myself back up and just stared at him, sweat-dropping.  
_  
You know. In the end...it was pretty funny. _

I started thinking of all that had happened and, before I knew it, I went into my own giggle fit. Placing my head on top of my paws. This went on for what felt like an eternity, when it was only a couple of minutes.

"Hey." Someone said. I instantly stopped and looked over. Graypaw looked just as confused.

"Stop laughing. A deaf badger could hear you two." The voice continued. I recognized it as Sandpaw, even though I couldn't see her.

"Sorry. I'll stop." I said. I, then, turned to Graypaw, who was still trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Now look what you've done." I said quietly.

"I know...I should stop...otherwise we'll be yelled at again by the only apprentice whose temper is bigger than Thunderclan's territory." Graypaw whispered. I purred at his statement.

"I can hear you." an annoyed Sandpaw growled. Smirking, I returned to my bed while Graypaw FINALLY returned to his own. I would have talked to him a little more, but the second I laid down, I fell asleep, totally unaware of the two amber eyes glaring at me.

**The next day  
**  
The sun ,once again, shined in my face. I turned away, trying to ignore it. Suddenly, I remembered something.  
_  
Shoot, I have to tell Longtail what Morningpaw said. _

With that, I stood up and left the apprentice's den, being careful not to wake anyone up. When I got outside, I saw that everyone was beginning to get up. I walked around, trying to find Longtail.

"Up early again, are we?" A voice said. I looked over my shoulder and saw that it was Runningwind.

"Well, actually, I need to." I started.

"Let's go, we can get a head start on our training." He interrupted.  
_  
I can tell Longtail later. Plus, if I go now, Graypaw won't know where I went.  
_  
"Okay, so where are we going?" I asked as we padded out of the clearing.

"Tallpines." He answered as he went off in a different direction. I followed. When we got to Tallpines, I breathed in, proving to myself that no one  
was here...from Thunderclan at least.

"What do you smell?" He asked. I breathed in again.

"There is a faint Shadowclan scent, probably from their territory." I started.

"Good. Anything else?" Once again, I sniffed around when a strange scent hit my nose.

"There's a strange scent coming from over there." I said, pointing with my tail. I heard Runningwind also sniffing.

"I think that's a kittypet smell. But it's awfully close to the border." He said confused.

"Then, let's check it out."

"Yes, let's go." Suddenly excited, I followed. I slightly was hoping for a fight even though I know no moves. As we got closer, I saw a high wall  
made of trees.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's called a fence. It acts as the border between the kittypet's territory and ours."

"Oh."

"Which way is the scent coming from?" He asked. I sniffed again, but the scent was over-powering. After a couple of seconds, I was beginning to  
smell the difference between the different kittypets.

"That way and heading closer to camp." I answered confidently.

"Good job. Now, let's follow it." Runningwind said. We followed the scent, keeping toward the bushes for cover. The wind was in our favor,  
blowing the cat's scent to us rather than the other way around. When we caught up with it, we weren't that far away from camp. We hid in the bushes.

"I doubt that this kittypet will be dangerous, but just in case, let me do the work. Okay?" He said calmly.

"Okay." I said. I looked over the bush to see what we were dealing with. The intruder was a light brown tabby with darker brown stripes. The tip of the intruder's paws and tail were white. We watched as he looked around and sniffed toward the camp.  
_  
Typical kittypets. They just think that we eat bones and line our beds with the left-overs.  
_  
The kittypet soon crouched down and looked like he was stalking something.  
_  
Not the greatest position I've seen  
_  
"I think we should stop him before they get to close to camp." Runningwind said. With that, we stood up and padded over so we were behind the cat. He looked like he was ready to pounce.

"Hey!" I said assertively. The cat jumped and whatever he was stalking ran away. He turned around and looked at us, obviously angry. He had amber eyes and a kittypet collar studded with teeth.

"What?" The cat asked. I realized that this cat was definitely a tom.

"You're on Thunderclan territory." Runningwind said calmly.

"So?" The tom said.

"It means you've got to leave or we'll force you to." Runningwind said, still calm. At this, the cat lowered himself and unsheathed his claws, which looked abnormally long.

"Oohh, I'm so scared." He said sarcastically. "Whatever shall I do?"

"You can leave." I said flatly. He glared at me angrily.

"Do we have a little smart mouth here?" He said.

"Maybe. Now, leave." I said. I noticed Runningwind give me an angry glare.  
_  
I know. I'm supposed to let him be in charge, but this guy is getting on my nerves.  
_  
"Keep talking like this and I'll have to shred you into bedding." The tom said. At this, he leapt toward me. I rolled to the right, just like I did when  
Snowpaw got angry at me the first day. He landed on his feet and charged toward me again. I began to run away so that he wouldn't catch me. I saw Runningwind attempt to jump on him, but the tom was too focused on getting me.  
_  
I only have one option. I'll have to face him.  
_  
I spun around and faced him. He tried leaping on me once more. I ran under him and ended behind him. He wasn't expecting this and landed with only two paws to support him and ended up falling over. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I spun around and leapt onto his back, sinking my claws into him. He stood up and began trying to get me off, but I didn't budge. He spun around, trying to get a hold of me with his teeth. While he was spinning, I felt the blood rushing to my ears and my grip getting looser.  
_  
Don't let go._ _Don't let go. Don't let go_

It suddenly stopped when I felt him hit the ground. I opened my eyes and saw that I was on my side. I let go and stood up. He stood up to and looked at me with furious eyes.

"Why, you little.." He started but was stopped when Runningwind jumped on him and began clawing him. The two toms soon became a spinning mess of teeth, fur and claws. I joined in, trying my best just to get the intruder and not Runningwind. I felt my claws sink into the thin flesh of an ear. I looked and saw that it was the intruder's. I tore at it and a blood-curdling yowl came from the intruder. He tore away from us and ran away, but before he left, he looked at us.

"I'll be back. Just wait." He yowled. After that, he ran off toward Riverclan territory. I sat down, exhausted from what just happened.

"You did very good." Runningwind said. I looked over and saw that he wasn't bleeding other than a little wound on his flank. I looked at myself and didn't see any blood.

"It looks like neither of us got any serious injuries" Runningwind said between pants,"Do you think you can walk back to Tallpines?"

"Yea."

"Let's go." He said. He stood up and went back the way we came.

"What about your wound?" I asked, running up to catch up with him.

"It's not that deep and it will heal on it's own."

We soon reached Tallpines and resumed training, despite Runningwind's wound. He made it through the rest of the day perfectly fine. We practiced battle moves, even though I had to jump in the air for fear on opening his wound. We reached the clearing a little earlier than expected.

"Why don't you go clean out the elder's den while I go see Spottedleaf." Runningwind said.

"It sounds like a plan, but do you want me to tell Bluestar about the rogue?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"I don't." After that, he walked over and into Spottedleaf''s den. I walked over toward Bluestar's den.

"Hey, Bluestar. Are you free?" I asked.

"Yes, come in." She said. I walked into the den and sat down in front of her. I've been in here a lot, mainly from when I was younger.

"What is it, Foxpaw?" She asked.

"Me and Runningwind saw a rogue by the border."

"Oh, really?" I nodded. "That's odd. Which border did you see it?"

"The Twoleg border."

"Even odder. Tell me all that happened."

I told her what had happened. Even the fight scene, just 'cause I;m proud of what I did.

"I don't know why a kttypet would come over here, but thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome."

I left Bluestar and headed toward the elder's den. First, I told them what happened and they were happy for me. I cleaned out their den, needing tips from them due to my inexperience. After I did that, I found Runningwind.

"Are you going to be all right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. So, did you tell Bluestar?"

"Yes."

"And did you clean out the elder's den?"

"Yes."

"Well done. When the patrols get back, you can get some fresh kill for the elders. After that, you can eat."

"Thanks."

I left Runningwind so that he could go to sleep. While waiting for the patrols, I told the queens and Spottedleaf what had happened today. Everyone was very impressed. When the patrols came, I grabbed a couple of mice and a black bird and brought them to the elders. Saying I brought to much, they took the mice while I got the black bird. As I ate, I kept a look out for Longtail. He finally came with a hunting patrol. After quickly finishing my bird, I ran up to him.

"Longtail."

"What is it, Foxpaw?"

"I saw Morningpaw in a dream." At this, he looked surprised and interested.

"What did she say?" I told him all that she said. After I finished, he looked completely shocked.

"There's no way that's true." He said.

"But it is...Here I'll prove it."

"How?"

"You never described her to me. So, I'll just tell you the cat I saw in my dream and let you decide."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Okay, She was mainly blue with darker tabby stripes running down her sides that started along her spine. And, she had a mark on her tail that had the same color as the stripes. And the tip of her tail was the same color. And, she had stripes on all of her legs that started at the front, all the same color as the first stripes. And, her paws were the same color and she had green eyes. Does that sound like her?" As I finished, he looked completely astonished.

"That sounds exactly like her." He said. He hung his head and stared at the ground, trembling slightly. I could only watch as he shook violently. A couple of others noticed, but no one asked. He suddenly stopped and looked at me with relaxed eyes.

"Thanks for telling me." He finished. He left me after that.  
_  
Well, that's it.  
_  
I headed for the apprentice's den, not even caring if Graypaw was mad at me, or if someone wanted to know what happened. The only thing I wanted to do was go to sleep. I curled up in my bed and instantly fell asleep, not noticing someone glaring at me.

* * *

Me:Cutest chapter so far  
Crys: Yeah, after all, we made FoxpawxGraypaw fluff  
Fox:...Shut up  
Snow:Wait...what?  
Crys: You see...  
Fox: (interrupting) Don't tell her  
Snow: I want to know  
Me: We'll tell you later  
Snow: Okay  
Fox: Oh...for the love of Starclan  
Crys:BTW, we got the info about Morningpaw from the picture we have of her on DeviantArt  
Me: If you have'nt seen the pics yet, you should  
Fox:The links are in our profile  
Snow: We have pictures?  
Crys: Yeah  
Snow: Man, I look so plain  
Fox: Don't worry. You'll be fine  
Me: Also, I have done the impossible  
Crys: You bought the Hershey's choclate factory?  
Me: No  
Snow: You wrote fluff between me and Dustpaw in the next chapter?  
Me: How's that impossible...But anyway, no  
Fox: You've decided to kill my father in the next chapter?  
Me: NOO. We need him still.  
All except Me: Then what did you do?  
Me: I created a YouTube Video  
Crys: How's that imposible?  
Me: It took forever  
Fox: So, what's it about?  
Me: It's a BrightheartxCloudtail vid  
Fox&Snow: Who?  
Me: You'll learn in later chaps. Here's the link to the /watch?v=KZmfLQ-yn8M  
Crys: Bye, don't forget to rate, review and all that other jazz  
Me: In the next chapter...  
Crys: Wait  
Me: What?  
Crys: Let's NOT give them a hint for the next chapter  
(cue 'dun, dun, duuuuun music. Everyone gasps)  
Me: Okay, Bye


	13. Ch12 The Heart's Truth

_**Me: Uhh, before you read the chapter, please hear us out.  
Crys: This is very important.  
Me: The problem is that this is my first songfic.  
Crys: You only did it due to writer's block  
Me: We can explain that later. The point is that this isn't one of our greatest chapters  
Crys: Just don't yell at us telling us that 'this chapter is gay, you...'  
Me: I think we get the point. Hope you enjoy  
Crys: We're doomed.**_

* * *

_**Longtail's POV**_

I padded into the warrior's den, still not completely convinced. As I laid down, I tried to understand this. Foxpaw told me that Morningpaw didn't actually do this out of her own free will. That it was actually Tigerclaw that forced her to do it. Thinking back on it, I could actually believe that what she said was true, but, a part of me didn't feel totally convinced. I fell asleep almost instantly, which was weird since I wasn't even all that tired. Suddenly, I opened my eyes and looked around.

"I'm not in Thunderclan anymore." I said, looking around. I instantly recognized that I was at Fourtrees. A cat appeared in front of me and I instantly recognized her.

"Morningpaw." I stutter.

"Yes, LongTAIL it's me...Your warrior name suits you." She said.

"My tail isn't that long." I retaliated.

"Yeah, it is...But anyway let's try to stay on focus here."

"Okay...but is it true?..Did Tigerclaw really force you to do it?"

"Yes..it is true."

"But...Why would he do that? How could he do that to you?"

"I don't know...But, I do know this."

_**When I see you smile  
Tears run down my face  
I can't replace  
And now that I'm stronger, I've figured out **_

"When I see you smile...tears run down my face." Morningpaw whispered, but loud enough so Longtail could hear

"What? Why?" Longtail asked confused.

"Because I can't be there with you, but now, I've figured out..."

_**How this world turns cold  
And breaks through my soul  
And I know, I'll find deep inside me  
I can be the one**_

"Figured out what?"

"That this world turns cold and breaks through souls."

"Okay, you're confusing me."

"But, I know I can be the one."

"The one to what? I still don't get it."

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven **_

"I will never let you fall."

"Morningpaw, I.."

"I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to Starclan."

"I...I.."

_**It's okay, it's okay, it's okay.**_

"It's all right, Longtail. This is for me to say, so let me say it."

"Okay?"

_**Seasons are changing and waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter  
I can show you, I can be the one **_

"Seasons were changing. Days grew longer. Nights grew shorter. I can show you."

"Uh huh."

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven**_

"I just want you to know that I will be there for you, even from here in Starclan."

"Why are you telling me this?"

_**Cause you're my, you're my, my  
My true love,my whole heart  
Please don't throw that away**_

"It's 'cause you're my..my...my."

"You're what?"

"Toms are so clueless."

"Hey! I'm still here you know."

"What I mean is that you never noticed my feelings."

"What?"

"Don't you get it? You're my true love..."

"I...I..."

"My whole heart."

"Morningpaw, I."

"Please don't take that for granted. I'm being serious."

_**'Cause I'm here for you  
Please don't walk away  
And please tell me you'll stay, stay**_

"Because I'm here for you."

"Morningpaw, I need to tell you something."

"Let me finish."

"Fine."

"I don't expect you...no, don't want you to come to Starclan, but at least tell me you accept me."

"I...yes."

_**Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know, I'll be okay  
Though my skies are turning gray **_

"Thanks."

"Will you be okay, even though I'm still alive and you're...you know.?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine,...even though my skies are getting darker."

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven **_

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to let you know that I...I.."

"You what?"

"I felt...no, feel the same way."

"But...I'm.."

"Just 'cause you're in Starclan doesn't mean I can't love you."

"Longtail..."

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven **_

"What do we do now?"

"We'll just have to keep going on with our lives."

"Okay, but remember, I'll be watching you."

"Okay, okay, I know."

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever... **_

"But, I still need to know...Why did you listen to your dad?"

"Because if I didn't, you would have gotten hurt a lot worse than when I was alive."

"You mean that..?"

"Yeah, my dad used my feelings for you to his advantage."

"That's sick."

"I know, but one way or another, I knew I was going to die that day."

"Then, why did you look so confident while leaving?"

"That's because I wanted the last time you saw me for me to look happy."

"Wow, I've had this wrong for so long...Foxpaw was right."

"Yeah, I talked to her, so that's how she knew about me."

"Ohh."

"But, I have this feeling that she might be used the same way I was."

"Oh no, what can we do?"

"Warn her, then let fate take over."

"Ok, I will."

"Good, you should probably go. If the other cats find out for how long I've been keeping you, they'll get suspicious."

"Okay, love you." I said as I touched her nose to mine.

"Love you too. I'll talk to you later."

"Can't wait."

"Bye."

"Bye."

After that, I woke up, still in shock after all that Morningpaw told me. I knew I couldn't go see Foxpaw now.

_I'll just have to get her in the morning. After all, this could be a matter of life and death._

* * *

Me:(punching wall) Darn it, darn it.  
Crys: What did the wall do to you?  
Me: Nothing, it's...  
Crys: What happened?  
Me: I spent like 10 minutes writing up this end part and when I saved it, it was gone. So, now this is the new version.  
Crys: That sucks  
Me:I know  
Crys: Is there a bug or something going around on fanfiction?  
Me: If you've had trouble with editing your stories on the Document Manager, can you let us know.  
Crys: We don't want to be alone on this  
Me:Yeah.  
Crys: Anyway, we need your help  
Me:We need you to take the poll on our profile  
Crys: Ohh...you stopped punching the wall  
Me: Yeah...walls hurt.  
Crys: Anyway, take the poll or we will cancel Fox's Tales  
Me: This isn't a TV show  
Crys: Well, you get what I'm saying  
Me: The song we used for this chapter was 'Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus'  
Crys: If you liked it, let us know and 10 points to whoever knew it was that song before reading this.  
Me: BTW, I'm taking requests  
(crystal holds up 'applause' sign but nothing happens)  
Crys: Clap, damn it  
(people clap)  
Me: Thanks, but they can only be one chapter long  
Crys: We...I won't say it  
Me: Thank you  
Crys: Your welcome  
Me: Ahh...crap, I hate this chapter  
Crys: You'll live  
Me: I know, but this chapter still sucks  
Crys: One more thing, if you know someone who will take requests for making cat pictures, can you let us know in the review section.  
Me: We need pics of the OCs and if we get enough, I'll make a YouTube video.  
Crys: I think that's everything.  
Me: No, it's not. If you can't figure out who saying what, Morningpaw is saying all the parts of the song. I hope that helps..And please, go easy on us if this chapter sucks.  
Crys: Don't blame us. Blame writers block  
Me:Writers block is a curse  
Crys: Bye. Don't forget to rate, review and take our poll. Just click on our icon.


	14. Ch13 The Beginning of Darkness

**Me: Once again, we're sorry for the last chapter  
Crys: You're just gonna keep apologizing, aren't ya?  
Me: Maybe  
Crys: This chapter will be better, since our writers block is over  
Me: I'm gonna die from the stress  
Crys: They'll forgive you, gosh, quit being a drama queen **

* * *

Like before, the sun shined in my eyes. I rolled over, trying to avoid the sun. I felt something tapping on my side. I opened my eyes to see Longtail looking at me.

"Aren't you a little old to be around the apprentice's den?" I purred, sitting up.

"This isn't time. Come on, I need to talk to you." He said urgently.

_Oh no, he's acting serious. This can't be good_

I stood up and crawled under the wall of the apprentice's den and met him outside.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tiredly. Due to the sun waking me up early, I was normally tired in the morning.

"It involves your dad." Longtail said.

"Look, I know my dad's a fox-hearted cat, so you don't need to tell me that." I said flatly.

"I know you know. You know what happened to Morningpaw."

"Do you finally believe me?"

" Yeah, 'cause she talked to me in a dream. But anyway, she thinks that he might use you the same way he used her." At this, it shocked me, but not for long.

"Well...We'll just see." I said as I stood up and began to leave.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously? You could die." He said urgently. I stopped and looked back at him.

"'Cause after she told me the story, I figured that out." I said calmly. After that, I went back into the apprentice's den, leaving him there. I didn't feel like going back to sleep. I left the apprentice's den and walked around the clearing. I breathed in, noticing that the dawn patrol had already left. I sat down and began thinking again about what Longtail said. It was true that I already knew that, but I actually learned it earlier than what I said. Not wanting to open any of my old wounds, I avoided trying to remember it. It wasn't long until Runningwind came out.

"I need to get up earlier or you need to sleep in." Runningwind said as he walked toward me.

"Something woke me up today. Anyway, what are we doing today?" I asked.

"We're going to keep practicing battle moves, but today, you need a partner." He said, looking around. He left, going to find someone. I knew he couldn't do it since his injury was probably still bothering him. After a while, he came back with Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw. I gulped, nervous of how Dad was going to evaluate my battle skills.

"Okay, Foxpaw. Ravenpaw will be your partner for the battle moves." Runningwind said. I nodded. We left after that, though I could feel Dad staring at me. It only made me more nervous. When we got to the sand hollow, Lionheart was already there with Graypaw and Firepaw.

"I guess we aren't the only ones battle training." Runningwind said as we walked up to them.

"Well, we may as well train together." Lionheart said.

"Sounds like a plan." Tigerclaw said. We joined them in the hollow. After hi's, it was time to start.

"We were practicing the back kick before you got here." Lionheart said.

"All right. Foxpaw, you can try it and you'll be trying to get Firepaw. Sound good?" Runningwind said nervously, probably since he was taking charge. The senior warriors agreed and Firepaw and I walked out in front of everyone.

"Okay, Foxpaw, do you know what you're doing." Lionheart asked. I nodded, since I practiced this yesterday. I lowered myself, ready to turn.

"Keep your claws sheathed and go." Tigerclaw said. Firepaw rushed toward me and aimed a front paw blow. I stepped back, dodging him and spinning around so that my back was to him. I put my weight onto my front paws and kicked, barely missing him. I balanced myself out and looked back at Firepaw.

"I didn't get you, right?" I asked.

"Nope, I'm fine." Firepaw replied.

"Nice job, Foxpaw. Now, let's try it with Firepaw trying to get you." Runningwind said. I faced Firepaw, ready. He lowered himself the same way I did.

"Claws sheathed. Go." Tigerclaw said. At that, I rushed toward him and aimed a front paw blow. Like me, he stepped back dodging. Spinning around, he aimed the back kick. I ducked, missing me easily. I moved forward and attempted to trip him.

"All right, Foxpaw. That's enough." Runningwind said. I stepped back and let Firepaw get up.

"Did I get you?" Firepaw asked.

"You missed me by a mouse-tail." I said.

"Nicely done, both of you. Now, it's Graypaw and Ravenpaw's turn." Tigerclaw said. I walked back and sat next to Runningwind.

"Remember, we're just practicing, but if this was a real fight, you did the right thing." Runningwind whispered.

"I know. I just wanted to add something." I said. He looked confused for a while, but calmed down and went back to watching Graypaw and Ravenpaw. I breathed in, smelling someone coming toward us from behind. I turned around, trying to see who it was.

"I can't believe I missed that bird." I heard someone say.

_Snowpaw...It must be Snowpaw and Willowpelt._

"Birds are tough, but once you get the technique down, you'll be able to catch them. Now, let's go to the sandy hollow." Willowpelt said calmly.

_Is everyone battle training today? _

As if on cue, Snowpaw and Willowpelt came through the bushes and saw us.

"Foxpaw." I heard Snowpaw before I felt someone jump on me. I collapsed from the surprise...and her weight.

"Snowpaw, get off of me." I snapped. She stood up and allowed me to stand up. I glared at her, angry.

"Snowpaw, honestly, you still act like a kit. Sorry, Foxpaw." Willowpelt said. Snowpaw glared at mewhile I just tried to look innocent.

"It's alright." I said, turning back to the training. Graypaw and Ravenpaw had just finished.

"Goody-goody." Snowpaw whispered to me. I didn't care about it. I was used to it.

"Don't tell me you guys are battle training to." Tigerclaw said.

"If you'll let us, plus, I think Snowpaw has too much energy too focus on hunting." Willowpelt said.

"Uhh, fine. Foxpaw, Snowpaw. Let's go." Tigerclaw said. I walked out to the front, facing Snowpaw. She smirked at me. I knew that she wanted to get back at me for getting her in trouble.

"What move are we doing?" I asked.

"Let's see what you two know." Tigerclaw, "Basically, there's no specific move you need to do."

"First one to pin down the other wins." Runningwind said.

"Ooh, this is perfect." Snowpaw said, crouching, "Payback time."

"Go." Lionheart said. At once, Snowpaw rushed toward me, but I side-stepped her. She stopped herself and once again tried to rush me, but I dodged her again. She kept this up for another three runs.

"Quit dodging." Snowpaw snapped, getting tired. My plan was working. I was trying to tire her out, then pin her down. She paused, crouching.

"Oh..okay." I said, instantly rushing toward her. She side-stepped me the first time, but I expected this. I continued to run, making a sharp turn and running into her, hard enough to knock her down but not hurt her. I jumped on her then, easily pinning her down.

"I win." I said, getting off of her, not sounding tired. Snowpaw sat herself up and glared at me.

"You...just...got lucky." She said between pants.

"Nice job, you two." Lionheart said. Snowpaw forced herself to stand up and walk over to Willowpelt. I followed easily and sat down.

"Okay, Firepaw and Ravenpaw will go next." Lionheart said as the two said apprentices stood up.

"How are you not tired?" I heard Graypaw say as he sat down next to me.

"That's mainly due to Runningwind." I said, "When your his apprentice, you can't be tired after that."

"Wow. Must be tough..." Graypaw whispered as Firepaw tried to pin down Ravenpaw, but Ravenpaw slipped under him.

"Okay, what about our deal?" Graypaw whispered angrily. I looked at him, acting surprised.

"Oh, well, I forgot." I said, acting ashamed. Graypaw glared at me, seeing through my rouse.

"Quit acting. You must remember know, otherwise, you have bees in your brain." He said. I smirked at this.

"Of course, I remember know. So, when do you want to know?" I said.

"How about..." Graypaw started.

"Hey, quit talking and get down there." Tigerclaw interrupted. Surprised, I stood up and padded down and faced Graypaw.

"Same as before. Go." Tigerclaw said. We both stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move. I decided to switch up my strategy and go on the offensive. I charged, but he easily dodged me. He then charged toward me, but I dodged by rolling. I stood up quickly and backed up. I knew the perfect strategy for taking him out.

"What are you up to?" He asked as I backed up to a rabbit hop away from a tree. Annoyed, he charged toward me. I spun around and jumped on the lowest branch. Everyone looked at me, confused, except for Runningwind, who nodded to me. I leapt up to the next branch as Graypaw jumped to the branch I was just on. I continued climbing until I was about five fox-lengths off the ground. Graypaw was trying to keep up, but was struggling.

"What are you doing?" Graypaw asked. I smirked, figuring that he hasn't been in a tree yet.

"Switching things up." I said. I jumped over him and landed onto the branch below him. I ran down the tree branches and onto the ground with Graypaw on my trail. I ran and jumped into another branch that was about a fox-length off the ground.

"Quit jumping into trees." Graypaw snapped.

"Why?" I said, walking up to the edge. Before he knew it, I jumped off with my front paws outstretched. Once on the ground,I tripped him easily and pinned him down. I purred as I got off of him. The other mentors looked shocked, except for Runningwind.

"Where did she learn those moves?" Tigerclaw asked.

"I taught her." Runningwind said.

"You mean you've already practiced in trees?"

"Well, not fighting, but I taught her how to move in the trees."

"No fair. You had an advantage." Graypaw snapped. I purred at him, not really caring.

"Oh well." I said flatly. I walked back to Runningwind. As The day went in, my good streak went off as I lost to Firepaw since I couldn't use the trees. After that, my luck got worse as I messed up on simple things. As we walked back, Runningwind told me to relax about it, but something in me couldn't relax. I didn't know what it was, but I felt like something bad was going to happen. After we cleaned out the elder's den, we were free to eat. I wasn't all that hungry and decided to go to sleep early. I curled up in my bed, ready to go to sleep when something sharp grabbed my tail. I squeaked as whatever had me began to pull. I sank my claws into the bedding, but I couldn't get a grip as I was pulled out of the apprentice's den. When I got out, I saw that it was Tigerclaw who had pulled me out.

"Hey, there are better ways to get someone out of their den, you know?" I snapped, but his expression didn't change.

"Come, we need to talk." He said as he led me away from camp. I wasn't sure if I should follow him, but instincts beat my will as I followed him. As I followed, I felt like someone was watching me.

_**"Be brave otherwise...you'll die." **_

I stopped suddenly and looked around.

_I know I just heard something_

"What's with the hold up?" Tigerclaw asked impatiently. I froze. I knew I couldn't tell him that I heard someone.

"Oh, it's nothing." I said, running up to him. He looked at me, uncertain if I was telling the truth.He seemed to have let it go as we walked. We ended up in Tallpines.

"Isn't it a little late to be out?" I asked, sitting down.

"No, plus I needed a place where we can be alone." He said. I could hear the venom on the last word. I stood up, instantly worried.

_This can't be good._

"The problem is that you failed during today's session." He growled. I backed up, remembering what Longtail said.

**"He's going to use you like he used Morningpaw...You could die!" **

His words ran through my mind as Tigerclaw faced me, his claws unsheathed.

"I can do better." I said, sounding scared.

"Well, I know that..'cause after this, you won't screw up again." He said as he jumped toward me. I dodged and looked around. I couldn't use any of the branches for help.

_That's why he took me here_

I kept dodging, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep that up for long. I knew I was going to have to make a run for it...Wait, which way is camp?

_I don't know the way back to camp...but I do know...That's it. It's my only chance. _

I breathed in, figuring out which way to run.

"You won't be able to run. Don't forget that I'm faster than you." Tigerclaw said as he swiped at me and hit me. I rolled on the ground. I quickly stood up and saw that I was bleeding from my side. This was my only chance.

"Try me." I spat as I ran in the right way. As I ran, I could hear him. He was practically right behind me. I soon found what I was looking for...the fence. Thinking fast, I turned and ran along the fence, knowing that it would lead me to camp. I thought I could make it, until I smelled something. I couldn't believe it. I kept running 'till I saw him, the kittypet from before. I stopped in my tracks, not noticing that I lost my dad at the turn off.

"Oh no." I whispered as he saw me. He smirked.

"Well, look what we have here. Your that kit that beat me last time." He said as he walked toward me. Having no choice, I backed up, but something stopped me. I looked up and froze. It was dad.

"I'll take it from here." Tigerclaw said as he pinned me down. I struggled, but that only made it hurt more.

"Hey, I want to kill that kit." The kittypet spat. I froze with fear.

_This is it..I'm going to die._

Before I knew it, their conversation was over and the kittypet was gone. Dad looked down at me and smirked.

"Trying to get away. You almost had me, but that rogue I talked to seemed to have slowed you down." Tigerclaw whispered.

"You...you knew him?" I said weakly, feeling his claws dig into me.

"Yes, but now you know to much." He said swiftly as he pulled away from me only to swipe at me with one paw while keeping me trapped by having his other paw on top of my tail. I fell down, only to be hit again, and again, and again. After for what seemed like forever, I now laid on the ground, bleeding from cuts along my flank, belly and neck. I felt something prick my ear. I looked up to see that one of his claws was in it. He pulled. I felt my skin rip as I let out a cry of pain.

"If you tell anyone what I said, I'll do a lot worse." Tigerclaw said into my good ear as he left. I looked up to see the stars glittering.

_Why did you let him do this to me, Starclan?_

_**"We're sorry, but there is nothing we can do?"**_

I looked to see someone sitting in front of me, stars in their fur, I couldn't tell who it was, but I didn't really care. My strength was going as blood came from my wounds. I felt like I was dying. As my strength disappeared, I passed out.

* * *

Crys: Cliffhanger...Wait, no ones here...Who am I supposed to talk to.  
Cherry: Hi Crystal  
Crys: Cherry, what are you doing here?  
Cherry: I was sent since Ruby doesn't want to face the fans  
Crys: Who's Ruby?  
Cherry: The person who made us up. It's her stage name.  
Crys: Ohh..well. Anyway, she's not here because the last chapter was our worse so far  
Cherry: She'll be all right.  
Crys: Anyway, if you haven't, please take the poll on our profile.  
Cherry: Future of story at stake  
Crys: Oh, and the whole one-shot thing, I was joking  
Cherry: We fixed it on the previous chapter  
Crys: Heck, oh well, who would send us requests anyway  
Cherry: Why are you dissing us?  
Crys: 'Cause I can. Ok, and one more thing about the last chapter, she was distracted from typing up my story.  
Cherry: One of the many things we're going to blame the last chapter on.  
Crys: We'll stop in the next chapter  
Cherry: Finally  
Crys: Don't forget to rate and review  
Cherry: How do you rate?  
Crys: Heck if I know  
Cherry: Do we have any people who we can request drawings from?  
Crys: No, but if you...yeah, you with the face know one, let us know.  
Cherry: That joke is over used  
Crys: I know  
Cherry: We only own the Ocs and the plot  
Crys: We also own us  
Cherry: That doesn't make sense  
Crys: Well, 'Ruby' owns us  
Cherry:...Whatever, oh and today is Ruby's birthday. June 27th  
Crys: Yay, we're...  
Cherry: We can't say her name on the internet  
Crys: Yeah, I forgot. Bye  
Cherry: Bye


	15. Ch14 Scent in the Truth

_Dream sequence __  
_  
The next thing I knew I was at Fourtrees again. I decided to do the only natural thing and jump up on a Great Rock. Suddenly a gray tom appeared out of nowhere. He had white patches and stars in his fur. He had kind blue eyes.

"Who are you? Where am I? Am I dead?" I asked in a rushed panic. As I talked, he purred at my comments, frustrating me.

"No, you are not dead. There are no stars in your fur." The cat said. " And my name is Cloudstar."

"I don't get it, how could I have not died?" I asked.

"Because your role in this world is much bigger than you expect, so you have to stay alive." Cloud Star said.

"Role? How could I have a role? I'm nothing but an apprentice." I said, not believing him.

_A role? That's just ridiculous. This guy must have bees in his brain._

"Trust me, you do." Cloudstar said calmly.

"Then what is it?"

"You will learn in due time."

"Do you even know what it is?" At this,he looked around, unsure of what to say.

"Uhh, just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay." I said sarcastically. I still didn't completely understand what he was saying, but I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I looked away from him and focus on the trees around me. I knew that one day I would come here, only this time I would not be asleep.

"Well, I have got to go." Cloudstar said.

"Wait, where have I felt where I've met you before?" I asked, knowing that I must have met him somewhere. He seemed too familiar.

"Well, I was the one that warned you."

"I still don't get why you care."

"I've got to look out for my great-grandchildren." Cloudstar said. With that, he vanished.

"Wait. I still have questions. Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave." I yelled, but it was no use. Suddenly,fatigue hit me. I felt like the world was spinning. I tried my best to stay up, but it was of no use. I soon fell down and passed out, on top of the Great Rock.

_End of dream sequence _

I jumped up, looking around. I realize that must've been in the medicine cat's den. Spottedleaf was around the entrance of the den, organizing herbs. She spun around and looked at me, completely surprised.

"Foxpaw, What are you doing getting up?" Spottedleaf snapped, "You must rest." She walked over to me and gently pushed me back down.

"Sorry." I said flatly. She looked at me with a confused expression across her face.

"What were you doing getting up in the first place?" Spottedleaf asked, sounding concerned.

"I had a visit from Starclan." I said, looking myself over. I was covered in cobwebs, probably from the numerous wounds Tigerclaw had inflicted onto me.

"Do you have any idea who did this to you?" She said, looking at my wounds. I looked down, unsure of what to say.

_If I tell her that Tigerclaw did it, He might do worse. What if I don't tell her, then..._

"Uhh, I want to tell you, but..." I started, but stopped due to fear building up in my heart. I looked down at my paws, unable to face her. I could feel her giving me a strange expression, which only made me even more nervous.

"But what?" She asked curiously. I didn't look up. I knew I would only have one choice...

_I'll have to tell her and hope that she won't tell Bluestar _

"Okay, I'll tell you but you can't tell Bluestar." I said, not tearing my gaze from the ground below me.

"Or else?"

"Or else I'll die." I said. I felt the shock rippling upon her pelt. I expected this. I looked up at her, with a desperate expression on my face.

"You have to trust me on this, Spottedleaf." I said, but I notice she wasn't paying attention to me. Her eyes were closed and she looked like she was in a completely other world. Suddenly, her eyes open and she looked at me with a understanding gleam in her eyes. I tilted my head, looking confused.

"I understand, now, tell me who did this to you." She said calmly. I knew I had no choice, besides, she could end up being the only cat I could tell this to. I tilted my head, signaling for her to lean down towards me. She understood and leaned towards me, putting her ear next to my muscle. Begin

"Tigerclaw." I whispered. After I said it, she shot up and looked at me. I couldn't read the expression in her eyes, but from her reaction, I could tell that she was surprised. She spun around and looked outside. I stretched my neck and tried to look outside, noticing that no one was in the clearing. I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that no one couldv'e heard my confession. Spottedleaf spun back around and fixed her gaze on me.

"Okay, I won't tell anyone, but you'll have to instantly come to me whenever this happens. Got it?"Spottedleaf said. I looked at her, confused.

_I don't get it. Why she keeping my secret? Oh well_

"Gotcha. By the way, what happened earlier?" I asked. She looked at me, at first confused but the confusion soon left her eyes and was replaced with understanding.

"I see you noticed. Well, I was getting a message from Starclan." She answered. I nodded, understanding what it was like to get one. After all, I've had way too many.

"Okay, and one more question. Do you have any idea who Cloudstar is?" I asked. She glanced away for a second, looking like she was thinking about it. After a while, she turned back towards me.

"Actually, no, I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Oh, well okay." I said, resting my head on my paws. Spottedleaf didn't say anything else,Going back to her original duties of organizing the herbs. I felt a little better after talking to her, but still a nervous feeling was in my gut. Trying to forget my doubts, I close my eyes and eventually, fell asleep.

Spottedleaf's POV

After that, Foxpaw fell asleep. I continued to work on organizing the herbs. I was still confused on why Foxpaw wouldn't let me tell Bluestar, But I had enough reason since Starclan sent me that message.

**" Fox will save the Clans, but Blood will stain her paws."**_But..I thought that Fire was going to save the Clan..._I thought about this for a while, forgetting about the herbs. I wasn't sure what to think, but Foxpaw seemed so serious about it. Plus, the wounds were precise, not sloppy. The only thing that could really 'cause her wounds would have to be a cat...but it's hard to believe that Tigerclaw would do this to his daughter. But, he did do the same thing to Morningpaw...

**Flashback: Spottedleaf 's POV**

Morningpaw was still in my den. It was believed that she was hurt during the recent battle with Shadowclan, but I didn't believe it. Her wounds were to fresh for them to be from the battle. However her wounds looked like a cat did them. When I asked, she almost seemed too scared to tell me, odd since normally she is very confident. She, now, was sitting up, staring out into the clearing. I was putting the herbs back from organizing them. I didn't say anything, I knew she would talk when she wanted to. Suddenly, her gaze went down toward her paws.

"You want to know, don't ya?" She purred. I looked at her and pulled my paw out of the crevice in the cave. Her head rose back up and I noticed that she was smirking.

"If you mean where you got those wounds, then yes." I said calmly. Her gaze didn't change, but it seemed like she wasn't staring at me, but rather behind me.

"It's quite a story, if you'll humor me in listening..." She started.

"I'm listening. After all, everyone wants to know what happened to you, especially Lionheart." I said, not noticing that I interrupted her.

"On one condition, you can't tell anyone." She finished. I looked at her like she had bees in her brains.

_What? But the Clan needs to know_"Well?" She said, wrapping her tail around her paws. I knew that at least someone had to know. I sighed, knowing that I had to agree to learn the truth.

"Fine, I'll hold my tongue. Now, talk." I said flatly. She smirked for a second, but instantly let it drop. Her eyes glittered with sadness that stayed. I was surprised.

"It happened while I was training with Lionheart. We were practicing battle moves. I was doing well, but my form was off through most of it. Lionheart told me not to worry about it... that I would get it down soon. After we finished, we began walking back to camp. That's when I saw a rabbit in the distance. I asked Lionheart if I could go get it. He approved and I ran off. I stalked the rabbit. It had no idea that I was there...but when I pounced, it ran away. I chased after it for a while, not really paying attention to where I was going. After what seemed like forever, I caught it. That was when I noticed where I was." She began, pausing for a second.

"And where was that?" I asked.

"I was at Tallpines. Luckily, I knew the way back. But, as I was starting to walk back, something knocked me to the ground. I instantly got up, but who I saw shocked me, mainly with surprise rather than fear. I also felt pain where I was hit, it was bleeding. I remember looking back at him with anger rising inside of me.  
'What are you doing?' I remember snapping at him.  
'Teaching you a lesson' He replied. After that, he pounced for me again. I dodged him easily, but I knew that wouldn't last long. Thinking fast, I grabbed the rabbit and began running back to camp." Morningpaw continued.

"Why take the rabbit?" I asked. It didn't seem like a strategic move, since it would slow her down.

"My gut told me to grab it. Anyway, I'm running with him hot on my heels. I weaved through the trees, trying to lose him, but it was of no use. Despite that, I thought I could make it, but then..." She continued, but stopped, almost as if the memory was to painful to remember.

"You okay?" I asked. I wanted her to keep talking, but not if it hurt her.

"I'm fine...Anyway, my foot got stuck in a hole. The rabbit falling out of my mouth. He caught up to me and took the opportunity to attack me. I remember...being struck over and over...like I was going to die. It seemed to go on forever, but on one swipe, my paw came free. I would've ran, but...I was to weak. I fell to the ground. I didn't notice what had happened to him after, but I think he left me there...to die..." She said, stuttering over some of the words.

"Anything else?...or do you not feel like talking." I said, not wanting to push her, but she shook her head.

" One last thing. I remember... looking up at the sky. I knew that it was silly, since now blood was staining the ground around me. I couldn't see the stars, but something told me that they were twinkling. I thought, _'Why?'. _I didn't get an answer. The last thing I remembered was hearing cats running toward where I was. I didn't know then whether they were going to find me dead or alive...I passed out after that. Next thing I know, I'm in here." She finished. I was astonished, surprised of how she knew about the stars.

"Okay...one last question...Who attacked you?" I asked hesitantly. She looked at me, determination shining in her emerald eyes.

'That cat...was Tigerclaw."

**End Flashback: Spottedleaf's POV**

I remembered being amazed at that answer. I also remembered trying to think of another cat it couldv'e been, but nothing crossed my mind. Now, it mad sense...kinda. I don't get why he was doing this or why he did it to his daughters. But, the stories sound about the same, of course, there were differences, but they were planned out the same way, even the wounds. I looked outside, realizing that it was almost sundown. Soon, the patrols came in. Suddenly, I smelled something odd. I breathed it in, knowing what it was. Blood. But, this was no ordinary blood, there was something special about it. I walked out, trying to find the source. It wasn't coming from the fresh-kill, the apprentices, the warriors, no where. Disappointed, I walked back to my den, where it hit me again. I looked over and couldn't believe my eyes. It was Tigerclaw, HE was the source of the smell, but that wasn't all. I felt something, a bad feeling, more or less, coming from him. I padded back into my den and sat down. Whatever happened to Morningpaw and Foxpaw...they were for the same reason.

* * *

(Crys is holding onto Ruby's arm and is trying to get her on stage.)  
Crys: Come on, quit being a fraidy-cat _  
_Fox: I take offense to that  
Crys: Whatever, come on Ruby, this was a great chapter. The fans have forgiven you  
Me: No, I don't want to...Wait, what?  
Crys: Fans forgive you  
Me: Oh, well in that case, let's go.  
Fox: Finally  
Me: Hi...and Crys, you can let go now  
Crys: No, I can't. You could run off again and go into your nervous stage  
Me: I'm fine. No songfics, promise  
Crys: Fine  
(Crys lets go of Ruby's arm)  
Me: Thanks, anyway, it's nice to see you guys again. Sorry about going all psycho before  
Crys: It's okay, it makes for good TV  
Fox: What's TV?  
Me: It's a Twoleg thing...and Crystal, we are not on TV, we're on the internet.  
Crys: I know, it's a metaphor...Anyway, what's up with that prophecy?  
Me: I, seriously, couldn't think of anything, but I like it  
Fox: What prophecy?  
Crys: Yours  
Fox: I get a prophecy!  
Me: You'll learn it in the next chapter  
Crys: Anyway, let's focus on something else  
Me: Whats that?  
Crys: You don't know?  
Me: I might..what is it?  
Crys: Camp  
Me: Oh, yeah. Through July 16th to the 25th , I can't update.  
Crys: Sorry  
Fox: But, until then, we'll still update  
Me: Yep, don't forget to rate and review  
Crys: And, keep an eye out for my story  
Fox: What if they're not Yu-Gi-Oh Gx fans?  
Crys: Well...it's about me, so everyone will like it  
(Crys keeps smiling while Ruby and Fox sweat-drop)  
Me: Hey, Crys, Your head is inflating  
Crys: Shut up  
Me:Don't forget to take the poll, we don't have enough opinions yet  
Crys: And, if you take it or you already took it, you get a cookie  
Me: Until next time  
Crys: Bye  
Fox:...Wait, I'm supposed to be asleep  
Me: This isn't the story  
Fox: Oh yeah, bye _  
_


	16. Ch15 Dangerous Destiny

It's been two moons since I became an apprentice. After Tigerclaw attacked me, I stayed with Spottedleaf for a couple of sunrises. Once I got out, Runningwind went straight back to training me, saying that we were 'way behind'.Nothing much has happened. Tigerclaw hasn't done anything to me yet, which is a good thing. It was still a mystery of what happened to me. Spottedleaf has kept my secret. Now, Runningwind and I are up in the trees by the Riverclan border, teaching me how to maneuver.

"You're doing a lot better than normal apprentices, Foxpaw. It's really quite outstanding." Runningwind said as he jumped up to a higher branch.

"Thanks, and what's the point in doing this?" I said, scrambling up to join him.

"Long before we were born, there are myths of a fifth clan..." He started.

"A fifth clan?" I asked, trying to remember the elder's stories, but I don't remember any mention of a fifth clan.

"Yeah, I don't remember much, but I believe they were called Skyclan or something like that."

_Skyclan?...Wait, then...Maybe..._

"The other thing I remember was that they were amazing at maneuvering through the trees." Runningwind continued.

"Hey, has Thunderclan ever had a leader called Cloudstar?" I asked. He looked at me, confused for a second. I knew that it was a off-topic question, but I think the answer could help me figure things out.

"Not that I know of. Why?" He said. I smirked in my mind.

Maybe...just maybe...Cloudstar was a leader of Skyclan...If they're real...What if they aren't?...Back to square one.

"I have my reasons." I said. I could feel confusion coming off of him. I might tell him one day, just not today. Suddenly, I smelled something from behind us. I spun around. We were upwind, so the scent was coming toward us.

"What's that?" I said, closing my eyes. After a second, alarm came off Runningwind.

"That's Shadowclan. However, it smells like there is only a small party, three at the most. We should still check it out." Runningwind said, taking off toward where we came from. I followed him, but I jumped up so I was using the taller branches. The scent hit my nose, the breeze carrying it. I continued running until Runningwind stopped. I looked down to see Firepaw and a gray cat fighting.

"Should we help?" I whispered, loud enough for Runningwind to hear me.

"Let's stay up here for now. I want to see what he'll do." Runningwind said, curiosity in his voice. Frankly, I couldn't argue with him. I wanted to see what the former kittypet would do. My paws began to slip. I laid down on the branch and wrapped my paws around it, trying desperately to hang on. I looked at the branch and found out why it was so hard.

_This is a pine tree! This couldv'e came in handy when I was being attacked._

"Hang on, Fox." Runningwind said, not tearing his eyes from the battle below us. I tried to pay attention while holding onto the branch.

"You're on Thunderclan territory. Move on!" Firepaw snapped as he puffed out his chest, trying to look fierce. I purred. He didn't look very fierce. I wanted to say something, but I held my tongue.

"Who's going to make me?" The cat said, I wanted to jump down and help Firepaw, but I didn't. "I will hunt. THEN, I'll leave. Or maybe I'll stay awhile."

I felt compelled to do something. When I heard something. I spun around and saw a bird on the branch below me. I walked as quietly as I could toward the bird. I was right above it, but jumping down would reveal me. An idea hit me. I gently wrapped my back legs around the branch and lowered myself toward the bird. It was pecking at a nut. I reached forward and sank my claws into it. It tried to fly away, but it was no use. I pulled it up and bit it's neck, killing it instantly. I tried to pull myself back up, but the bird slipped out of my paws and fell to the ground, catching the attention of the fighting cats.

"Prey!" The gray cat said as she ran up to MY bird.

"Hey, that's my bird!" I yowled, jumping down from the branches and landing on the cat's back. Startled, she jumped back, giving me the opportunity to grab my bird. I stepped back. Firepaw looked at me like I was crazy.

"Foxpaw! Where did you come from?" Firepaw said. The she-cat glared at me. She had a smushed in face. She was covered in scars and her ears were torn. I dropped the bird, but placed my paw over it to prevent it from being stolen.

"Well...it's a long story...You see, I was practicing up in the trees alone..." I started, continuing to make up excuses. They didn't look like they believed me. "Anyway, I'd better go. Runningwind is probably looking for me." I said, but as I grabbed the bird , the she-cat rushed for me. I jumped to the side and ran toward Firepaw. I dropped the bird behind us.

"What are you doing?" Firepaw asked.

"Helping you." I answered, "Who's that anyway?"

"Her name's Yellowfang." Firepaw said as Yellowfang jumped toward him. He dodged and jumped back and the pair continued fighting. The odd part was that I was ignored. I jumped in, grabbing my bird before stepping back and letting the pair fight. I knew that this was Firepaw's fight, not mine. The two continued fighting for a while, but it stopped fighting as Yellowfang slumped to the ground.

"If I weren't so tired and hungry, I'd have shredded you into mouse dust...Finish me off, I won't fight you." Yellowfang snapped. Firepaw looked surprised at this. I looked down at my bird and began to pluck it's feathers out. After I got them all, I pulled the pile toward me and began messing with them, bending and twisting in ways. I looked up and saw that Firepaw was gone, but Yellowfang was laying a fox-length away from me.

"So, what are you going to do?" Yellowfang asked me. I looked at her. I didn't want to kill her, but I couldn't let her stay on Thunderclan territory.

"I'm going to keep an eye on you 'till Firepaw comes back." I said, looking back at my feathers. "If anything, he's gone hunting for ya."

"You..." She started.

"Just 'cause my eyes were on these feathers doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention." I said as the feathers came together. I looked at it and rested my head on it. I heard pawsteps coming toward us. Luckily, it was Firepaw, dragging a rabbit behind him. He gave it to Yellowfang, who instantly ate most of it. I reached forward and grabbed the bird, unsure of what to do with it. I heard more pawsteps coming toward us.

"Cats are comin'." I said, not really caring. I knew that Runningwind was still watching us. I rolled over so that I faced the others. Firepaw was doing his best to clean himself.

_Probably ate some of the rabbit._

The two hid as Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, Willowpelt, Bluestar and Graypaw came and encircled us. Tigerclaw looked at me for a second, but his attention soon went to Yellowfang, who just stared defiantly at them.

"Firepaw? What have we here? An enemy warrior- and recently fed, by the smell of you both." Bluestar said, her eyes burning through him.

"She's gonna chew him out." I whispered. The only cat who couldv'e heard me was Graypaw, but he was paying attention to the others.

"She was weak and hungry..." Firepaw began.

"And what about you? Was your hunger so bad that you had to feed yourself before you had gathered prey for your Clan? I assume that you have a very good reason for breaking the warrior code." Bluestar continued. Firepaw stared at the ground, unsure of what to say.

"And what about you, Foxpaw?" Bluestar said, facing me. I sat up and looked at her.

"I've been here for a while. I caught a bird up in the trees, but it fell and I jumped down to get it." I started.

"Then, why didn't you do anything about the intruder?"

"It wasn't my place."

"What?"

"I mean that it wasn't my job to get rid of her."

"Then, where is the bird?" I grabbed the bird and placed it in front of me.

"I took the feathers off, but, as you can see, I haven't eaten the bird yet."

"Then, where is Runningwind?" Tigerclaw snapped. Suddenly, it sounded like a branch snapped and Runningwind dropped down and walked up next to me.

"Here." He said flatly. They didn't question me further. They decided to take Yellowfang to camp and Firepaw would be punished. As we left, I grabbed my thing made from feathers while Runningwind grabbed my bird. As we walked, Tigerclaw slowed down and walked beside me. I just stared at the ground, nervousness gripping me. I felt anger coming from Runningwind. I'd figure that he was glaring at Tigerclaw, who didn't really notice. When we were almost to camp...

"What is that thing?" Tigerclaw said as he knocked the feather thing out of my mouth.

"I don't know...I made it because I was bored." I said, reaching to pick it up, but Tigerclaw stopped me.

"Well, if it's nothing, then..." He said as he hit it with his paw, knocking it down the hill.

"Hey." I said as I jumped over him and ran down the hill. I looked around and finally found it, stuck in a bush. I reached forward and pried it out, losing some feathers in the process. I looked around and found some new ones, that had probably fallen off a bird. I fixed my 'thingy' in no time and ran back up the hill. But, everyone had left, other than Runningwind, who was sitting there, patiently waiting.

"Sorry." I said.

"It's all right. It wasn't even your fault. Now, let's catch up with the others." He said as he ran off, leading me down the path. We caught up with everyone at the entrance. I walked into the clearing and ran toward the apprentice's den, putting my thingy by my nest. I walked out and joined Runningwind, who was by the fresh-kill pile. I grabbed my bird and sat down, knowing that I would probably the only one who would've taken it. After I finished it, I looked down and saw feathers in front of me. I looked up to see Graypaw.

"That thing you made was pretty cool, so..." He started, looking down at his feathers

"Do you want me to make one for you?" I purred, already knowing the answer.

"I thought that since you lost yours, you could just make another."

"I found mine, but I'll still make you one."

"I thought Tigerclaw got rid of it."

"I found it." After that, we talked while I made him one. I saw Firepaw make a move for the fresh-kill pile, but Tigerclaw stopped him. I now laid in front of the apprentice's den with Ravenpaw and Graypaw. I felt an odd feeling in my stomach as Firepaw walked toward us.

"Did Bluestar mention your punishment?" Graypaw asked.

"Not yet." Firepaw said.

"I'd bet that she'll say it when she holds the clan meeting." I said.

"No, she won't." Graypaw said smugly.

"Yeah, and I'd bet our little conversation on it." I said, remembering what happened two moons ago. I said that I would tell him if I liked him or not, but so far, I've been avoiding it.

"It's a bet." Graypaw said, wrapping his tail around mine while Ravenpaw and Graypaw looked at us, confused. I felt my pelt heat up from embarrassment.

"What's goin' on here?" A familiar voice said. I looked up to see Snowpaw in front of me. I felt even more embarrassed and buried my face into my paws.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet me under the Highrock for a Clan meeting." I heard Bluestar say.

_Thank Starclan_

I stood and began walking toward everyone, when something stopped me. I looked behind me to see that Graypaw still had his tail around mine.

"You can let go now?" I said impatiently.

"What if I don't want to?" He said, innocently. Frustrated, I walked toward everyone, practically dragging him behind me. I reached everyone. Knowing I would need a closer view, I walked toward Graypaw and bit his tail.

"Oww..." He whined as he let my tail go. Satisfied, I let go and squirmed my way up front.

"I'm sure you have all heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today. But there is something else you need to know...Can you hear me from there?" Bluestar started, aiming that last part at Yellowfang.

"I may be old, but I'm not deaf."Yellowfang spat.

"I'm afraid I have some very grave news. Today, I traveled with into Windclan territory. The air was filled with the scent of Shadowclan. Almost every tree had been sprayed by Shadowclan warriors. And we met no Windclan cats even though we journeyed deep into their heartland." Bluestar continued. Everyone stayed quiet. I was surprised. I remembered seeing a Windclan cat on my first day as an apprentice.

"Do you mean Shadowclan chased them out?" Smallear said hesitantly.

"We can't be sure. Certainly, the scent of Shadowclan was everywhere. We found blood, too, and fur. There must've been a battle, even though we didn't find any bodies." Bluestar said. I heard someone yowl, even though I wasn't sure who. Everyone began whispering to themselves. I stared at the ground in disbelief.

_Does she think that Shadowclan chased them out? Then...where did they go?_

"How can Windclan have been driven out?" One-Eye said hoarsely, "Shadowclan is fierce, but Windclan is many. They have lived in the uplands for generations. Why have they been chased out now?"

"And, if Shadowclan really did chase them out, where would they go?" I asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. I felt a couple of glares at me, but I didn't care. Bluestar looked at me, her eyes having the look that she didn't know.

"I don't know the answers to any of your questions. It is well known that Shadowclan has recently appointed a new leader, following the death of Raggedstar. Their new leader, Brokenstar, gave no hint of any threat when we met him at the last Gathering." Bluestar finished. An idea hit me.

_Maybe Yellowfang knows_

"Perhaps Yellowfang has answers?" Darkstripe said. I then noticed that I was sitting next to him. "After all, she is of Shadowclan."

"She's not going to tell you." I whispered. I didn't know whether he heard me.

"I'm no traitor! Nothing would make me share the secrets of Shadowclan with a brute like you." Yellowfang growled. He moved forward, his ears flat, ready for a fight.

"Stop!" Bluestar yowled. Darkstripe stopped in his tracks, immediately. I noticed that Yellowfang goaded him on with the expression in her eyes.

"That's enough! This situation is too serious for us to be fighting among ourselves. Thunderclan must prepare itself. From this moonrise onward, warriors will travel in larger groups. Other Clan members will remain close to the camp. Patrols will travel the boundary edges more frequently, and all kits must stay in the nursery." Bluestar growled. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Bluestar continued. "Our need for warriors is our greatest obstacle. We shall get around this by speeding up the training of our apprentices. They need to be ready even sooner to fight for our Clan." I felt my fur prickle with excitement.

"Sweet." I purred.

"One young cat has been sharing mentors with Graypaw and Ravenpaw. By teaching him, I shall speed up the training of all three apprentices...I shall take Firepaw as my own apprentice." Bluestar continued. I was surprised. I didn't know the last time Bluestar had an apprentice...oh, wait, it was Runningwind.

"So Firepaw is to be rewarded, not punished, for feeding an enemy warrior when he should have been feeding his own Clan?" I heard Tigerclaw say. I didn't really care, but he did have a point. Besides, this will win me the bet.

"Firepaw is my apprentice now. I'll deal with him." Bluestar answered, staring at Tigerclaw before lifting her head, "Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages. She is to be treated with respect and courtesy."

_That's where your wrong, Bluestar...Well, at least one of us is a savage...Tigerclaw._

"But the Clan cannot support Yellowfang. We have too many mouths to feed already." Darkstripe said.

_True, true_

"I don't need anyone to care for me! And I'll split anyone who tries." Yellowfang spat. I heard the muffled meows from the other cats.

"She's so friendly." I said sarcastically.

"Tell me something I don't know." Darkstripe said.

"We shall kill two prey with one blow, as it were. Firepaw, as punishment for breaking the warrior code, it will be your responsibility to care for Yellowfang. You will hunt for her and tend to her wounds. You will fetch fresh bedding and clear away her dirt." Bluestar said. I placed my head into my paws, trying to keep quiet.

"Yes, Bluestar." Firepaw mewed. I now heard Sandpaw and Dustpaw making fun of him.

"Enough!" Bluestar interrupted, " I hope Firepaw will find no shame in caring for Yellowfang. She is a healer, and she is his elder. For those reasons alone he should respect her."

"Yeah, it's not like those two could do it themselves." I whispered, loud enough for them to hear. I heard Darkstripe purr to my comment. I saw Bluestar shoot me a glare. I, now held my tongue.

"And, there is no humiliation in caring for another cat when it is unable to take of itself. The meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors alone now." Bluestar said. Everyone began to separate, a couple congratulating Firepaw. I walked over to him.

"Congrats...and I win." I said, aiming the last part to Graypaw.

"She didn't intentionally say it." Graypaw argued.

"Well, she did." I said. I suddenly felt someone swipe at my ear. I looked behind me to see Dustpaw and Sandpaw. I knew this was coming.

"What do you mean we couldn't?" Dustpaw growled, glaring at me, but I stayed calm.

"Hey, if you're going to make fun of Firepaw, why can't I make fun of you?" I said calmly, "Besides, it takes a lot of guts to accept taking care of her. Trust me."

"Have it your way." Sandpaw snapped as they walked away.

"Thanks." Firepaw said.

"No problem...now, I'm beat." I said, walking over to the apprentice's den, but, when I got there...

"Hey, Foxpaw." Someone said. I turned around and saw that it was Spottedleaf, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay." I said, following her. She led me to her den. On the way, we passed Yellowfang, who didn't seem to notice us. When we got in there, I sat down. The air was thick. Whatever she had to say must've been really important.

"You're a really important cat, you realize that?" She asked. I looked at her, confused, but then, I remembered what Cloudstar said to me.

****************************************************************

"Your role in this world is bigger than you expect..."

"I've been told that." I said.

"Well, when I was with you before, Starclan sent me a vision."

"A vision?"

"Yeah, like the ones you got, remember?"

"Yeah." I said. How could I forget. Spottedleaf wanted me to become a medicine cat because of it, crushing my sister's dreams.

"Anyway, in my vision, I saw a fox, with blood covering it's paws and mouth."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"A lot, it was a symbol..for a prophecy...about you."

"What?" I said, standing up, " Me?...Why me?"

"Only Starclan knows." I stared at the ground.

_First Cloudstar, now Spottedleaf...Who next?_

"I know it's hard to believe, but you will understand in due time." Spottedleaf said, trying to calm me down.

"What's the prophecy?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Fox will save the Clan, but Blood will stain her paws."

Once she said that, I felt like the world was spinning. My legs buckled beneath me.

"Foxpaw...Foxpaw, what's wrong?" I heard Spottedleaf say. I couldn't answer. I felt like I was on fire. Pain shot through my body, without a real reason why. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see anything. The world looked black. I couldn't believe it.

_Am I going blind?...I...don't...know..._

After that, I felt to weak to even think. I soon passed out.

_

* * *

_

Me: I love cliffhangers  
Crys: Who doesn't?  
Me: Anyway, hi.  
Crys: Remember, we won't be able to update from the 19th to the 25th .  
Me: Camp  
Crys: Anyway, where is everyone.  
Me: Fox is in a coma, Snow is flirting with Dustpaw and I have no idea where Cherry is  
Crys: Oh yeah...  
Me:...  
Crys: What else do we have to tell them?  
Me:Fox's 'thingy' was basically a pillow made of feathers  
Crys: We only own the Ocs and the plot  
Me: Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter  
Crys: Ah, copyright  
Me: What?  
Crys: It sucks  
Me: Okay, humor me, why does copyright suck?  
Crys: Okay, I was trying to watch an episode of Fruits Basket...  
Me: Okay  
Crys: But, all of the episode 2 part 2s were all copyrighted  
Me: I remember that  
Crys: Yeah, so now, I'm reading the manga  
Me: Well, that kinda wraps it up here  
Crys: Rate and Review  
Me: Oh, yeah, we reached over 20 reviews  
Crys: Yeah, world domination, here I come  
Me: (sweat-dropping) You know you can't rule the world with fanfiction  
Crys: Way to crush my dreams  
Me: So, anyway, thanks for reviewing  
Crys: (trying to hold back tears) Thanks...very...much  
Me: Bye  
(I leave)  
Crys: Wait, you're just gonna leave me? Even when I'm so sad...Fine...Bye


	17. Ch16 Truth in the Rubble

**Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for Firestar's Quest. If you haven't read the book, I advise you not read this chapter and get the nutshell in the author's note section or you can just skip the dream sequence (that's where the spoilers are). Thank you and enjoy the chapter if you've read Firestar's Quest :)**

* * *

_Dream sequence (De Ja Vuh)_

I woke up and looked around. I was at a place that looked like Windclan territory. The ground was rough. There wasn't a tree in sight. I looked ahead to see cats walking away. Behind me, I saw what looked like the Clan territories. I ran toward the cats as fast as I could, but I wasn't used to the hard ground as I winced from the pain. I kept running, but no matter what, I couldn't catch up to them.

"Wait!" I yowled, "What are you doing?" I didn't get a response as the mystery cats as they continued walking away from me. I stopped to catch my breath. I looked around and realized that it didn't look like I moved at all. I sat down and watched the mystery cats as they walked. It didn't look like they were moving either. That's when I began to worry.

"Where am I? Did I die...or almost die again? Why me?" I mewed, mainly to myself. I looked around, desperate for a sign. I sat back down, unsure of what to do. I felt like someone was behind me. I spun around and saw a cat in the distance. I thought about running again, but then I remembered that I didn't get anywhere the first time. But then, the cat began walking toward me. As it got closer, I recognized him.

"You again? Why do you keep talking to me? Where am I? Why me?" I yowled, adding venom to the last question.

"All your questions will be answered soon." He said.

"When soon? I want to know now!" I snapped. He just looked at me calmly, which only made me angrier.

"You'll find that out on your own...In the mean time, we have a problem." He said, looking at the ground.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Your prophecy was misinterpreted." He said flatly, looking back at me.

"Huh?" I said, confused.

_Is that even possible._"The actual vision was like Spottedleaf said, but she must've not seen the most important thing?" He said.

"She said that it was a fox with blood on it's paws and saving the clans." I said, trying to remember.

"Well, it's true that a fox was saving the Clans with blood on it's paws, but..." He started, but paused for reasons I couldn't figure out.

"But..." I said, trying to get him to keep talking.

"But, the fox wasn't actually saving the Clans." He said.

"What are you talking about, Cloudstar?" I asked, now completely confused, "That just messed up what you just said."

"Well, you see...the fox wasn't actually doing the saving." Cloudstar said.

"Huhh?" I said, scratching my ear and sweat-dropping.

"You see the fox was helping something else save the Clans..." He said. I was still a little confused.

" If that's so, then what is really my prophecy?" I asked.

"Fox will help save the Clans, but Blood will stain her paws..." He said, but stopped as if there was more.

"Well, if I'm going to help save the Clans, then who will?" I asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out..." Cloudstar purred.

"Okay, then...why was I in such pain when you brought me here?" I asked, remembering the feeling of what was like my pelt on fire.

"It's 'cause I had to bring you here." He said. I looked around. I didn't think much of this place, mainly due to the fact that I have never been here. I noticed that the cats were gone.

"Why? What's so special about this place?" I mewed. Cloudstar's eyes darkened at me question. I instantly regretted asking it. " I'm sorry...Too personal?"

"It's alright...You see, long ago, there were five Clans. Thunder, Shadow, Wind, River and Sky. But, due to the Twolegs, Skyclan had to leave. They ended up living here." He said, pain gripping his voice. That's when I figured it out.

"You were leader of Skyclan at the time, weren't you?" I said, closing my eyes. I could feel him giving me a surprised gaze, but it quickly relaxed.

"Yeah, you're right." I heard him say. "It was..."

"Why am I not dead?" I interrupted. He looked at me like I had bees in my brain.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh, no reason. I just wanted you to stop being all depressed." I purred.

" You can't joke about death like that."

"Why can't I? I almost went blind..."

"Well, you aren't..."

"Oh my Starclan, I just realized that..." I said, instantly realizing it. I felt like an idiot then...oh well.

_I do have bees in my brain_"The point is that you shouldn't joke about death." Cloudstar said flatly.

"Alrighty, so, when can I wake up?" I asked.

"Now, don't forget what I said." Cloudstar said. Once again, it felt like my energy was being drained. Luckily, I had gotten used to it...slightly. My legs buckled and I passed out.

_End of Dream Sequence (Fox passes out WAY too much :p)____My eyes shot open and I stood up, I looked around and saw that I was still in the medicine cat's den. Spottedleaf was looking at me, completely surprised._

"Foxpaw, what happened?" Spottedleaf said. I looked back at her,confused as other thoughts came to me.

_I wonder...why wasn't Spottedleaf able to see the fire in her vision? If she had, she would've mentioned it._Well, I just went into a coma, almost went blind and talked to an ancient cat, so far it's a normal night."I said, flatly.

"

"Well, your normal, went on for the whole night, so now you can join the patrol." Spottedleaf said. I got up, like nothing ever happened and walked out of the medicine cat's den. I saw Runningwind, Mousefur and Snowpaw Standing by the entrance, all looking surprise when I came over to them "Fox, we were beginning to worry about you. Where in the name of Starclan did you go?" Snowpaw said as I walked towards them.

"It's a long story, anyway, where are we going to be patrolling?" I asked, in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Well, we are going to be patrolling along the Shadowclan and Windclan borders." Mousefur said. We left the clearing and began our way towards Shadowclan border.

"Hey, where's Willowpelt?" I asked Snowpaw.

_Isn't Willowpelt her mentor? Then why is Mousefur here?_"I'm not sure. Today, Mousefur came up to me and said that she was going to train me." Snowpaw said as she slowed down to join me behind the others.

"That's odd...Willowpelt didn't seem sick when I saw her yesterday...Speaking of which, did Mousefur say the same thing yesterday to?" I asked.

"No, I was with Willowpelt yesterday, but the patrol came and asked her to help them, so I had to train with Dustpaw and Sandpaw yesterday."

"I see"

"Speaking of yesterday, what was going on yesterday with you and Graypaw?" Snowpaw asked in a mocking tone.

"Him being a pest, that's what." I said, not wanting to remember. Sure, I like Graypaw, but he can be so...

"Really? Could've fooled me..." Snowpaw started.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you could've made him let your tail go, but no, you just sat there and let him." Snowpaw said. I looked at the ground as we walked. I knew I couldv'e, but something held me back.

"I don't know why I didn't...It doesn't matter..." I started, continuing trying to think of a good excuse, but none came to mind.

"Ah, forget about it...Look, we made it to the border." Snowpaw said. I looked at it. The Thunderpath didn't seem any different than it was before.

_Same monsters, same Shadowclan stink, still the same, not that it would change._We marked the Shadowclan border and moved on. I didn't see any Shadowclan cats. We soon reached Windclan territory.

"Why should we even mark here?" Snowpaw asked, "Windclan may not even be here."

"May not. We aren't extremely sure if Windclan is gone or not, but we can't take any chances." Runningwind said calmly.

"Can we go check?" Snowpaw asked. I looked at her like she was an idiot, even though, she did have a point. I wanted to go check it out to.

"No, now let's mark our territory and leave." Mousefur said. After that, we quickly marked the boundaries and went on our way. During the day, we practiced our stalking and hunting techniques. After we thought we caught enough, we came back to camp. It was a little after sun-down. I ate fairly quickly and was sharing tongues with Snowpaw.

"Hey...you know...what we...should do?" She asked between licks. I had a slight idea of what she was thinking.

"What?" I asked, thinking I already knew the answer.

"We should go to Windclan territory soon." She whispered, stopping grooming me. I stood up and shook, instantly messing my fur up.

"No." I said flatly, padding toward the apprentice's den, but Snowpaw quickly got in my way.

"Come on. We need to find out if Windclan is there." Snowpaw said urgently.

" But, if they are, we'll be shredded into bedding." I argued, quiet enough though so no one could hear us.

"You know you're just as curious as me. Besides, I'm worried about them."

"But, you don't know anyone from Windclan."

"That's where you're wrong. It happened a moon ago..."

Flashback: Snowpaw's POVWillowpelt and I were walking along the borders, making sure that no one was trespassing...Well, she was mainly teaching me how to mark. I didn't like it, but I knew I had to.

"Snowpaw, do you hear that?" Willowpelt asked. I listened, it was hard to hear anything, but there was something.

"It's hard to tell...But there is something." I said, nervously.

"It's a hawk. They're hard to hear since they can be flying very high in the air, but just in case, get ready to hide." Willowpelt said calmly.

"Okay." I said. We continued our lesson, moving forward on the borders as we went on. We were at Windclan territory when Willowpelt was suddenly nervous. She looked around frantically, like a mother who just lost one of her kits.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You remember, the hawk earlier right?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, confused.

"It's comin' toward us. Quick, hide." She said, instantly running toward a bush. I followed after her, not sure what to expect. Suddenly, the ground became dark around me. I looked up to see a brown creature above me. I ran even faster, but it was of no use. I felt something grab me by body( her mid-section) and lift me off the ground. Frantic, I reached up and tried to claw it, but it's skin was hard, not breaking under my claws. I noticed that the bird wasn't able to get very high in the air. I felt something sink into my fur, almost making me bleed. I looked over to see Willowpelt running after me, looking unsure of what to do. Suddenly, something happened and I crashed to the ground. Willowpelt was instantly at my side, grabbing me by the scruff and pulling me out of the things clutches.

"Oh my Starclan! Are you okay, Snowpaw? I'm sorry I wasn't able to do anything." Willowpelt said, looking me over.

"I'm fine. A little banged up, but I'm fine." I said, looking over my shoulder. I saw the biggest bird I'd ever seen. Next to it was a warrior and an apprentice. The warrior was a dark brown tom with blazing amber eyes. His apprentice was a dark gray tom with black tabby stripes.

"Are you two okay?" The apprentice asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." I answered, trying to see straight.

"We are terribly sorry for being on Windclan territory..." Willowpelt started.

"Relax, your apprentice was just taken away by an hawk. I don't see why we would be mad." The brown warrior said.

"Thanks...uhh...Mudclaw, right?" Willowpelt said, stumbling over words.

"Yes. This is my apprentice, Webpaw, he was the one that saved your apprentice." Mudclaw said.

"Thanks for saving me. I would have been bird food without you." I said happily.

"You were too big for that bird anyway, but your welcome." Webpaw purred.

"Well, even though I was to big to carry off, you saved me and that's what matters most." I said. I saw his fur rise with embarrassment.

"Bye." I said, touching noses to him then walking away.

"Thanks again." I heard Willowpelt say as I got off of Windclan territory.

"Snowpaw, you can't just touch noses to cats in other Clans." Willowpelt said, leading me away from Windclan territory.

"Yeah, I know..." I said. I am really glad that he came to save me. I now know that you can't jump to decisions about other cats...they just might surprise ya.

End of Flashback: Foxpaw's POV"So, now since he saved you, that makes it okay to go to Windclan territory." I said, flatly. I was surprised by the fact that Snowpaw got caught by a hawk, but what would you expect from Snowpaw.

"Yeah, plus he was so strong and brave and..." Snowpaw started.

"It's funny that you used to say those things about Dustpaw." I interrupted. She glared at me, angrily.

"I still like Dustpaw, but I really want to help him. PLEASE!" Snowpaw said.

"Ehh, what the heck, may as well come with you," I stared. Snowpaw looked like she was ready to go now. "Otherwise, you'll just go by yourself...and we can't have another eagle getting you."

"Shut up." She said. We padded into the apprentice's den and pretended to sleep. After a while, everyone else was in the den and seemed asleep. I heard someone get up. I figured that it was Snowpaw. I opened my eyes to see her in front of me. I quickly stood up and led her through the hole in the back of the apprentice's den. We started by sneaking away from camp.

"Oww, I stepped on a rock." Snowpaw complained.

"You have to let your eyes get used to the darkness." I said.

"How?"

"Close your eyes for a while than open them." I instructed.

"Your right, it does work." Snowpaw said after a minute. We continued our way towards Windclan territory. Luckily, we were upwind from Windclan, so the scent came to us. We reached what looked like Fourtrees.

"Well, at least we know the way." Snowpaw joked. I breathed in the scent. I could only smell Shadowclan.

"Ulgh, there Shadowclan scent everywhere." I complained.

"Yeah, you're right." Snowpaw said, "How are we going to be able to tell which way Windclan is?" I closed my eyes, trying to remember the way from this morning, when I heard the faintest of sounds.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. I could feel Snowpaw looking at me funny.

"What?..., but do you see that?" Snowpaw said. I opened my eyes and looked over. There were lights coming from somewhere. They were different colors and there were a lot.

"Wanna go look?" I asked.

"Yeah, that might be the way to Windclan territory." She said as we ran towards the lights. It felt like forever before we reached there. I noticed that the ground was still soft while we ran.

_We're still in Thunderclan territory, which means that..._We reached the Thunderpath and looked over. There were two monsters, which we together, surrounded by a lot of other monsters.

"The monsters are fighting." Snowpaw said excitedly.

"You think?"

"Yeah, look they're having a stand off."

"Aren't they a little too close to be having a stand off."

"Well, maybe...then they must be clawing at each other with their black paws of doom."

"Black paws of doom?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think so."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, first off, they're not moving and where is the blood?"

"Right there." Snowpaw said as 'monster blood' leaked toward us. I put my front paws on the Thunderpath and sniffed the 'blood'. It smelled awful. I instantly pulled back and stuck my tongue out.

"That is not blood." I said, trying to get the scent out of my nose.

"Then, what is it?"

"I don't know."

"Hey look." Snowpaw said. I looked up to see Twolegs get out of the surrounding monsters and go toward the fighting monsters.

"I didn't know that monsters ate twolegs." Snowpaw said.

"There's a lot you don't know." I said. We watched as the twolegs from the surrounding monsters get other twolegs from the fighting monsters. Then, another monster came. It was mostly white, but had a big red flashing eyes on it's head. The twolegs helped the other twolegs into the new monster.

"They're saving the twolegs from the monsters so they don't get hurt in the fight." Snowpaw mewed.

"Hey, I hate to be mean here, but don't we have Windclan cats to find?"

"Oh my Starclan, you're right." Snowpaw said, instantly standing up, "Come on, let's go back to Fourtrees." She ran off, forgetting about me, Luckily, my training with Runningwind paid off as I caught up to her. We made it back to Fourtrees.

"Okay, so now we go..." Snowpaw started.

"This way." I said, pointing with my tail.

"Yeah, that's right." Once again, we began the run to see if we chose the right way. This time, we did as our paws hit the dusty earth of Windclan territory.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Yep." Snowpaw said.

"If we get caught, I'm blaming you." I said as we entered Windclan territory. The ground was hard under our paws and since it was night, it was hard to traverse the territory. There were even high ledges that we had to climb. The only scent in the air was that of Shadowclan's, not even a whiff of Windclan. Every now and again, one of our paws would bleed, but by the time we reached the camp, it wasn't bad.  
"Oh my..." Snowpaw started. It was hard to tell, but it looked like a battle had happened here. With the light of the moon, I noticed small clumps of fur everywhere and blood, staining what looked like dens.

"Well, there's no way that they are here, so we may as well look around." I said as I walked through what seemed like an entrance. There were only at least two dens. The ground has moss on it that had been shredded. I walked over to one of the dens and gave a curious sniff. I smelled herbs, so it must've been the medicine cat's den. I walked around, noticing the many blood stains.

"I wonder where they went?" Snowpaw said, "It's not like Shadowclan could have killed them all."

"You're right. If Shadowclan had killed them, we would've seen bodies, but there are none." I said, looking over the blood stains.

"Yeah, but which way would they go?"

"That way." I said, pointing with my tail, "The blood stains lead off that way, so that must've been where they went."

"What should we do?"

"It's pretty obvious that they went that way, but if we follow the trail, our secret will be discovered."

"Ohh,this is so hard."

"I don't know." I said, going through the herbs in the medicine cat's den.

_If I remember correctly, then_"Found it." I said, pulling out a plant with white flowers.

"What's that?" Snowpaw asked.

"I think it's coltsfoot. You can put it on cracked or sore pads."

"You've spent WAY to much time in the medicine cat's den."

"Oh well." I said, chewing the leaves into a pulp, then rubbing it on my paws.

"I'll pass." Snowpaw said. After I got the coltsfoot off my paws, we left the Windclan camp. We reached Fourtrees faster than before.

"My paws hurt." Snowpaw complained.

"You shouldv'e tried the coltsfoot." I purred.

"Oh well, let's just get back home before the dawn patrol starts." She said. I looked up and saw that the sun was starting to rise. We ran as fast as we could. When we reached the camp, we groomed ourselves, trying to get the Shadowclan stench off of us.

"I think we're good." Snowpaw said.

"I hope you're right." I said as I walked through the back way into the apprentice's den. No one was awake yet. I fell down on my bed, not really caring about anything else than going to sleep. I closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

Crys: Hi  
Me: Hi  
Crys: This might be the last chapter we put up before camp  
Me: It also may not  
Crys: Anyway, we have good news  
Me: We're gonna be doing a FAQ thing  
Crys: You can ask about the story, or you can ask one of us questions  
Me: Why are we doing this again?  
Crys: It was your idea  
Me: Oh yeah, and I have a question that I've been dying to answer  
Crys:_ Dear Foxclaw999: Why do you love Cliffhangers? From: fans  
_Me: Fans?  
Crys: Well, I don't want to give their identities away  
Me: Well, it's because...  
Crys: It's because she's a hyperactive idiot  
Me: I'm not an idiot, but anyway. Cliffhangers excite me instead of killing me  
Crys: We have another question  
Me: I just need to answer this one. No one asked us, but I'm sure someone thought of it.  
Crys: _Dear Foxclaw999: Is Foxpaw's warrior name going to be Foxclaw  
_Me: The answer is...no  
Crys: It was going to be originally, but then, we discovered that our username gave it away.  
Me: So, we changed it  
Crys: Okay people, we know you have questions and we have answers. So ask us in the review section and we will answer them for free  
Me: We're still not on TV  
Crys: One last thing, if you do have a question, let us know if you want us to say your username. If you don't care, leave it blank, we'll just put your name.  
Me: If you don't want us, which I wouldn't understand but wouldn't judge you, let us know  
Crys: We are going to post it as a different story  
Me: If no one has any questions, that's okay, less work for me  
Crys: So ask, ask, ask  
Me: X(  
Crys: :)  
Me: Review and rate  
Crys: Thanks and don't forget to take our poll  
Me: So far, we are just highlighting the important moments, but otherwise, we'll just go straight to her warrior initiation.  
Crys: If you want one of the other options, let us know, otherwise, forever hold your peace  
Me: No one is getting married  
Crys: Well, not in your mind  
Me: You are in my mind!  
Crys: We should probably go before Ruby blows a fuse  
Me: That's it, I'm outta here!  
(I leave)  
Crys: Touchy, anyway, thanks for your reviews. Until next time, bye


	18. Ch17 Shadow of the Exam

It's been four sunrises since Snowpaw and I went to Windclan. It seems that no one has figured out yet. Though the day when we came back, we didn't do very good in training, but our mentors think it was from a lack of sleep...which is right, only for different reasons. I think that they believe that the other apprentices kept us up. Which for me, it would be true. Anyway, we're now back into our normal routine. At the moment, I was asleep until...

"Foxpaw, wake up." I heard someone say as a paw poked me. I ignored it and tried to go to sleep, but whoever it was wouldn't go away.

"That's not a good idea, Foxy isn't a morning cat." Another voice said. I couldn't figure out who since my ears were muffled by the feather's on my thingy.

"What's the worst that could happen?" The first voice said. I couldn't take it anymore. I got up as fast as I could and tackled my annoyer, who turned out to be Firepaw.

"I'll show you the worst that could happen." I snapped as I smacked him with my paws, making sure to keep my claws sheathed. He tried to get away, but I wouldn't let him as we wrestled. All the commotion woke up the others.

"Quit it, you two, or do you want to get yelled at." Sandpaw snapped. I got off Firepaw and walked over to my nest, sitting down.

"Fox started it." Firepaw grumbled, loud enough for me to hear.

"You were the one who was poking me." I snapped.

"All right, just calm down." Sandpaw said. I looked at her, confused.

_Since when she was peace maker_

"Who died and made you peace maker?" I asked. Sandpaw glared at me as she left the den."Apparently no one." I walked out of the den, noticing the thick layer of dew on the ground. I shook, the water on my fur flying everywhere, and sat down, waiting for Runningwind to come and get me. I watched as Firepaw went to Yellowfang's den. I didn't really care, I'm more concerned about my little trip to Windclan. I hoped that no one had figured it out yet. After what seemed like an eternity, Runningwind padded out of the warrior den and came towards me.

"What are we doing today." I asked,not sounding like I cared, looking away from Firepaw and focused on him. I hated to be truthful, but being an apprentice was starting to bore me, since we did the same thing almost everyday. It was like being stuck in a valley and you couldn't get out until you were older, but the exit would just lead to another valley. I don't like valleys.

"Today, I'm going to help Tigerclaw evaluate the apprentices, so you're going to join Firepaw, Graypaw and Ravenpaw with that." Runningwind said, "You should go meet up with them now while I go get ready." After that, he ran out of the entrance and disappeared. I sighed and padded out of the clearing. I breathed in, trying to find their scents, but it was hard due to the rain from earlier. I jumped up and climbed up a tree and began maneuvering through them. It wasn't hard, but occasionally, a slippery branch would try to slip me up. I still felt bored. I wanted something new, exciting, even dangerous to happen. I even kinda hoped Shadowclan would attack, just 'cause I wanted a little excitement. I jumped down and saw Ravenpaw and Graypaw sitting by a tree stump. I walked towards them and jumped up on the stump.

"Are you joining us?" Graypaw asked, looking up at me. I saw that rain from earlier was caught in his long fur.

"Yeah." I said flatly, not really caring. Meanwhile, Ravenpaw was looking around, nervously. It seemed that he was expecting something to jump out and attack us. Something began to rustle in the bushes in front of us. Ravenpaw stood up, looking ready to run. I watched as Firepaw came out and ran towards us.

"It's just Firepaw, you fraidy-cat." I said to Ravenpaw. He didn't seem to hear me as began to pace around the tree stump, calming down slightly but still looking nervous.

"You're joining us too?" Graypaw asked, shaking himself, "Some day,huh."

"Yes. Bluestar told me that Tigerclaw is going to assess us today." Firepaw said, "Are Sandpaw, Dustpaw and Snowpaw coming too?"

"I don't think so, 'cause then there would be too many apprentices for two warriors to keep track of." I said.

"I thought it was just Tigerclaw." Firepaw said, confused.

"Runningwind is helping him." I said, standing up, "Since we're all here, let's get a move on."

"Yeah, we should probably get going." Ravenpaw urged as he stopped pacing.

"Fine by me. Hopefully some exercise will warm me up." Graypaw said as we began to run through the gorse track. We soon reached the sandy hollow. Tigerclaw and Runningwind hadn't arrived yet, so we waited in the shelter of a pine tree.

_Why am I not surprised?_

"Are you worried about your assessment?" Firepaw asked Ravenpaw, who was still pacing. I sighed. Ravenpaw could never relax, and I mean NEVER. Or he chooses not too.

"Is he never not nervous?" I whispered, but I knew that they could hear me.

"Be nice, Fox." Graypaw snapped.

"Don't listen to Fox. Besides, there's no need to be. After all, you're Tigerclaw's apprentice. When he reports back to Bluestar, he's going to want to tell her how good you are." Firepaw mewed.

"You can never tell with Tigerclaw." Ravenpaw said, not stopping his pacing.

"Ain't that the truth." I said, remembering what happened to me. I put my front paw to my ear, feeling the cut in it while remembering what it took to get it there.

"What happened to your ear?" Graypaw asked, noticing me.

"You haven't noticed?" I asked, surprised. It's been there for at least two moons, how could he have not noticed it?

"No, I've noticed...but I don't know how it got there." Graypaw answered.

"Did you get it from a fight?" Firepaw asked.

"You've been in a fight already?" Graypaw said, sounding surprised. I sweat-dropped. I knew I couldn't tell them how I actually got it. I knew I was going to have to lie.

"You don't remember the fight I got in with the rogue?" I said, sounding surprised.

"Oh, yeah, I remember." Firepaw said.

"For goodness sake, sit down!" Graypaw snapped at Ravenpaw,who I noticed was still pacing, "At this rate, you'll be worn out before we begin." After what seemed like forever, Tigerclaw came up to us. I noticed that Runningwind wasn't with him. I figured he was off hiding. I had heard stories about these from the elders. While I was thinking, I had missed Tigerclaw's brief 'hello'.

"Lionheart, Runningwind and I have spent the last few weeks trying to teach you how to hunt decently. Today, you'll have a chance to show us how much you have learned." Tigerclaw said, "Each of you will take a different route and hunt as much prey as possible and whatever you catch will be added to the supplies in the camp."

The boys began to look at each other in both excitement and nervousness. I was only concerned about where I am going. I'd prefer that I would go towards Tallpines.

"Ravenpaw, you will follow the trail beyond the Great Sycamore as far as the Snakerocks. That should be easy enough for your pitiful skills." Tigerclaw started.

_Ouch, that means he'll have to avoid being bitten, but that could mean that he could get so distracted that he won't be able to get enough prey._

"Graypaw, you'll take the route along the stream, as far as the Thunderpath." Tigerclaw continued.

"Great, wet paws for me." Graypaw said, but was quickly silenced due to Tigerclaw's glare.

_This figures_

"Firepaw, you will take the route through Tallpines, past Treecut place, to the woods beyond." Tigerclaw said.

_Lucky :(_

"Finally, Foxpaw, you will take the path along the border of Treecut and Twoleg place." Tigerclaw finished, "Remember, we will be watching you." Right after Tigerclaw said that, Ravenpaw ran off, towards Snakerocks. Tigerclaw soon went off, but not before giving me a glare that would scare any kit. However, I didn't really care. I stood up, ready to go.

"I don't see why Tigerclaw thinks Snakerocks is an easy route. That place is filled with snakes. Even birds and mice stay away from that place" Graypaw said.

"He'll spend his whole time trying not to get bitten." Firepaw said. I smirked in my mind, knowing why Tigerclaw gave Ravenpaw that path.

"That's the whole point." I said flatly. The guys gave me confused stares, but I didn't really care. It was true. Tigerclaw gave Ravenpaw that path in the whole knowing about the little prey there. He wanted Ravenpaw to fail.

"What are you talking about?" Firepaw asked.

"There's no reason why Tigerclaw would want his own apprentice to fail." Graypaw said. I looked away from them.

_They have no idea_

"You two are clueless." I said as I ran off, heading towards Treecut place. I thought that they would try to follow me, but I didn't hear them. Relieved, I continued to Treecut place. It took me a matter of minutes to get there. It wasn't the first time I had been here. I remembered that just down the border was where I fought my first fight, against the rogue. This was also the path I took when I was running away from Tigerclaw. Memories crashed over me like waves, crashing down on me. I knew I had to relax and focus. I closed my eyes and focused. Following my nose, I quickly found a mouse. Dropping into the hunter's crouch, I inched toward it until I was in pouncing distance. It's back was still towards me, it was a sitting duck...a sitting mouse, I mean. I pounced, my claws digging into it's fur. I held it there and felt it squirm in my paws, trying desperately to get out. I sighed and sank my claws deeper, killing it. I buried it, wiping my paws on the dirt after I was done. The blood would help me find it later.

As the day went on, I caught 5 more mice, 3 birds and 2 squirrels. I buried everything in the same place. I now was walking along the fence, trying to find more, but I could only smell the putrid scent of kittypet food.

"I don't see how kittypets can stomach that crap." I said. I looked ahead and saw what looked like a kit. I ran up to it. It was a small black tom. He had a white stripe starting from the top of his head and continuing to the start of his tail. He had white tabby stripes coming from the stripe and running toward his stomach. The tips of his tail and ears were white. He laid face down, his paws tucked under him.

"Are you okay?" I said. He instantly perked up and looked at me, not standing up. I realized that he had deep purple eyes. A jingle was heard as he stood up. He was almost as tall as me, his ears coming up to my eyes. I stepped back, noticing that he had a Twoleg collar.

_He's a kittypet._

"What are you doing in Thunderclan territory?" I snapped. He stared at me, a bored shine in his eyes.

"Aren't you one of those cats that eat bones?" He asked, his voice sounding deep despite his age.

"We don't eat bones, but you should go back to your Twolegs." I said, unsheathing my claws. "Or, I can make you."

"Why would I go there?" He said, "I hate everything having to do with my owners."

"Then, just get off of our territory." I snapped, getting tired of this. This tom was over staying his welcome. I felt my anger boiling up in me, but I chocked it down.

"I don't know. I like this place." He said, practically daring me to attack me. I lowered my self and jumped. He side-stepped me, but I knew this was coming. Once landed, I instantly turned and charged toward him. He jumped up, dodging me and landing on the fence. I looked up and glared at him. His eyes were teasing me, goading me to try to get him, but I wasn't going to get him. I'd just degrade myself by jumping onto the fence, the border between my world and his.

"Just stay off our territory, got it?" I growled, venom grasping my voice. He didn't respond, just stared at me. I spun around and began making my way back towards the woods. I knew that there would be no prey around here. I looked up, seeing that it was past sunhigh, almost sundown. I figured I would be able to get a little more hunting in. As I walked, I heard pawsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw that no one was there, until I looked up, seeing the kit.

"What are you doing?" I asked, getting annoyed by this brat.

_What will it take to get him to leave? :(_

"I need to ask you something?" He said, jumping down from the fence.

"If you don't get back on that fence, I will hurt you." I said angrily. He suddenly looked slightly worried, probably due to the look in my eyes, and jumped back onto the fence.

"What's your name?" He asked. I was surprised, I knew that he could tell.

_Why does he want to know? _

"Just call me Fox." I said, spinning around, my back facing him.

"I'll be back." He said as I walked away, "And, my name's Skell."

For the rest of the day, I hunted, but I couldn't get that kit out of my mind, but I was mainly worried about whether Tigerclaw or Runningwind was watching.

_And, if it was Tigerclaw..._

I shook my head, trying to not think about it. I returned to my hole with 2 more squirrels. I stared at my pile, unsure of how I was going to get all of it to Tigerclaw. I grabbed 2 mice in my mouth and began to make my way back to Sandy Hollow. When I got there, Tigerclaw, Runningwind and Firepaw were already there.

"You took your time." Tigerclaw said as I walked over to them, dropping my mice.

"I have more." I said, getting ready to go get it.

"Stay here until Graypaw and Ravenpaw come." Runningwind said calmly. I sat down and waited. Graypaw came quickly, a small squirrel in his mouth.

"Yuck! Squirrels are too furry. I'll be picking hairs out of my teeth all night." Graypaw spat. I purred at his frustration.

"Ravenpaw's late." Runningwind said.

"We'll give him a bit longer and then we'll return to camp." Tigerclaw said.

"But, what if he's been bitten by an adder?" Firepaw asked, sounding worried.

"Then, it's his own fault." Tigerclaw said flatly, "There's no room for idiots in Thunderclan."

_Knew it _

We sat there for what seemed to be season, nobody moving or even making a sound. I noticed Firepaw and Graypaw exchanging glances while the warriors seemed lost in their own thoughts. I closed my eyes and focused, hearing the light sound of pawsteps coming toward us.

"He's coming." I said, opening my eyes. My comment perked everyone up. Ravenpaw soon came into the hollow, an adder dangling from his mouth. I was actually surprised. How could someone expect fraidy-cat Ravenpaw to catch an adder.

"Ravenpaw!Are you okay?" Firepaw asked.

"Hey, did that bite you?" Graypaw asked as he walked toward Ravenpaw.

"I was too quick for it!" Ravenpaw purred. I couldn't believe what I heard. I've never heard him purr.

"Come on, let's collect the rest of your prey and return to camp." Tigerclaw said. I stood up and quickly ran off toward my pile. I felt like someone was following me. I didn't look back.

_What if it's Tigerclaw? What if he saw me with the kittypet? What will happen? I can't end up in the medicine cat's den again!_

I soon stopped, seeing my prey and began to dig it up.

"I saw what you did." A familiar voice said behind me. Turning around, I saw that it was Tigerclaw. My fur rose up and I stepped back. I knew he could see the panic in my eyes.

"I'll deal with you later." He said, not sounding like he cared, "I have more important things to worry about then you." I didn't show it, but I felt relieved, but something was bugging me.

_I hope it's true.  
__  
_"Can I ask you a question?" I said as I walked back and started to dig.

"As long as it's decent." He said, no emotion in his voice.

"Did you send Ravenpaw to Snakerocks hoping he would get bitten?" I asked, looking up at him. Before I could react, he knocked me down with his paw. He walked over to me, placing his paw over my flank. Despite the fact that his claws were still sheathed, I could feel them due to their length.

"I figured you would figure it out. But, you have to stay quiet." Tigerclaw spat, "Otherwise...you know what will happen."

"I won't say anything." I said, trying to sound brave, but his gaze told me that he knew I was still afraid.

"I could punish you, but that would just make me look bad...to have a daughter who keeps getting hurt." Tigerclaw said as he released me. I stood up slowly, not wanting him to aggravate him.

"Come on. Let's get your pitiful pile and go." Tigerclaw said as he grabbed a couple of mice. I quickly listened and grabbed a squirrel. It took us at least 3 trips to get the pile to camp. The only thing left was a crow I had caught at the last second. Tigerclaw told me to go get it, alone. As I ran through the forest, it became harder and harder to know where I was going. I followed my nose and found my crow. But, sitting next to it, was Skell.

"I thought I already told you to stay off of Thunderclan territory?" I snapped at the younger cat, but his gaze didn't waver.

"It wasn't very nice," Skell started, "You know, what that tom did to you." I gasped, knowing that he must've seen me and Tigerclaw.

"You mean Tigerclaw?" I said, "Yeah, Dad's not the nicest cat."

"He's your dad?"

"Yeah."

"That's too bad. I mean, my dad wasn't all that nice either. He always made fun of me due to my fur color and my size. I'm the smallest of my litter. I hated him. I used to come out here and watch you guys, wondering what it was like. I wish I was born a wild cat." Skell said. I felt a little pity on him.

"Did you know a kittypet named Rusty?" I asked. I knew it was sudden, but I needed to know.

"Yeah, he's gone missing." Skell said.

"He actually joined Thunderclan." I said, stepping forward.

"But, as for what you're going through, I think you should stand up for yourself. If you keep letting your dad push you around, you won't get anywhere and nothing will change. You can't expect someone to come and save you, you have to take your life into your own paws." I said, knowing that I needed to listen to my own words.

"Here." Skell said. I looked up to see him staring at the ground, pushing the crow toward me. "and thanks." He ran off, right past me. I thought about going after him, but I knew that this was his fight, not mine. I grabbed the crow and made my way back to camp. I ate fast, the kittypet still lingering in my mind. I padded into my den and fell asleep without saying a word.

_I hope Skell is able to face his dad._

* * *

Me:I'm back  
Crys: Hooray  
Me: Sorry for the long absence  
Crys: but, we're back  
Me: Okay, a couple of announcements  
Crys: Some good, some bad  
Me: I'm a little bummed out  
Crys: We tried putting up a new story, but...  
Me: I screwed up  
Crys: No, someone just doesn't know how to be nice  
Me: If you want to know the whole story, send me a PM  
Crys: We may take a little break from Fanfction  
Me: Not for long though  
Crys:Next thing, other stories.  
Me: I'm going to be experimenting a little bit by putting up other stories.  
Crys: For one, we need your help.  
Me: One is going to be a songfic  
Crys: Before you get worried, it's not a fanfic with a song in it, it's a fanfic ABOUT a song  
Me: It's for the song 'That's your Horoscope for Today by Weird Al Yankovic'  
Crys: We're going to be using a ton of different characters, but not all from Warriors  
Me: I want to know (in your opinion) 'If a Warrior Cat had to be in any one of these horoscopes, it would be _ and the character would be _'  
Crys:Fill in the blanks  
Me: You don't have to do it, but it would help.  
Crys:The song is on YouTube  
Me: That's about it  
Crys: Thanks for reading this far  
Me: By the way, if you like me using the emoticons in Fox's thoughts, please let me know and I'll keep using them  
Crys:Bye


	19. Ch18 The Gathering pt1

I was fast asleep until I felt a paw prodding me.

"Leave me alone." I mumbled, turning and trying to get away from who ever it was.

"Your going to the Gathering." The voice teased, I recognized it as Graypaw. But, the Gathering part caught my attention.

"Talk." I said, as I sat up and looked at him.

"Bluestar had to talk to Firepaw yesterday and she told him that you, me, Firepaw and Ravenpaw are going to the Gathering tonight." He continued as I stood up and stretched.

"Cool." I purred, standing back upright. I padded by him and out to the clearing.

"Hey, what about our deal?" Graypaw said as he came out of the apprentice's den. I sighed, remembering what had happened a couple of moon ago.

"What?" I asked, playing dumb.

"I know you know what I'm talking about." Graypaw snapped, "You still haven't told me."

"Ohhh, that." I said, sounding like I just remembered, "You see..."

"Foxpaw, let's go!" I heard someone say. Looking over, I saw that it was Runningwind sitting with Whitestorm, Sandpaw and Mousefur.

"Well, can't keep them waitin'." I said quickly as I padded over to them. I look back to see Graypaw glaring at me. I stick my tongue out at him and continue on my way.

"I'm sorry." I said as I approached the group.

"It's fine, just don't let it happen again." Whitestorm said, no emotion in his voice as he led us out of the clearing. I sighed, thankful that I was able to get away from Graypaw.

"What were you talking to Graypaw about?" Sandpaw asked.

"Oh, nothing." I said. I didn't want to talk about it. I was annoyed with the fact that Graypaw remembered about that. Besides, there was NO way I was going to tell him.

"Fine." Sandpaw said, not sounding like she cared.

"We're checking the borders, then you can go back to camp, Fox." Whitestorm said.

"Why does she get to go back to camp?" Sandpaw asked, a slight whine in her voice.

"Because she's going to the Gathering along with Firepaw, Graypaw and Ravenpaw." Whitestorm answered.

"What!" Sandpaw snapped, looking at me with a surprised expression on her face. I purred, amused by her surprise.

"You're not the only one who gets to go to Gatherings." I said flatly to Sandpaw, who only * humphed * and ignored me. I didn't really care. We checked and remarked our borders. It went by faster than I thought. Before I knew it, I was padding back to camp, my sapphire eyes focused on the path ahead of me. I was taking the path that was close to Twoleg place. The last time I was here, I met Skell. Hoping I wouldn't run into him again, I focused back to the path, breathing in the scents around me, a squirrel scent catching my attention.

_May as well stop and hunt real fast _

I froze and sniffed the air, honing in on the scent. I dropped into a hunting crouch and moved toward the squirrel, my body sliding over the roots of the tree roots like a snake. I spotted the squirrel, who was trying to break open a nut, it's back faced toward me. I hid behind one of the roots that was more out of the ground, it's girth easily hiding me. I peered over the root, the squirrel was still to preoccupied with it's nut to notice me. I got ready and pounced on the squirrel, it squirmed in my paws until I gave it the death bite. I stepped back, opening my mouth and breathing in the scents to see if there was anymore prey. Coming up empty, I grabbed my squirrel and padded back towards camp.

"Nice catch." A familiar voice said. I looked up to see Skell sitting up on the Twoleg fence, his amethyst eyes locked with my sapphire ones. Confused for a second, she realized that while she was hunting, she must've headed towards Twoleg place. I dropped the squirrel so I could talk.

"Look, I can't talk to a kittypet like you. Otherwise I'll get in trouble like Firepaw." I said, bending over to grab my squirrel.

"You mean a house-cat? Well, I'm not one of those anymore. I left my owners, see?" Skell said confidently, standing up and stretching his neck, showing that his Twoleg collar was gone.

"Well, then that makes you a loner and I can't associate with those either." I said, straightening myself back up.

"Why? What stops ya from being friends with other cats?" Skell asked. I sighed, this cat had no idea about the Warrior code.

"It's what the Warrior code says." Foxpaw said.

"Why do you follow it then? What makes you listen to such ridiculous rules?" Skell asked as he padded across the top of the fence 'till he reached where Foxpaw was and sat back down.

"Because...if we don't, then there would be chaos." Foxpaw said, then suddenly remembering that she needed to get back to camp.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I have somewhere to be." Foxpaw said, grabbing her squirrel and padding off without waiting for an answer. As she made her way to camp, Fox was starting to worry. Since she had talked to a kittypet, will she get in trouble like Firepaw. Clearing her head, she quickly reached camp and put her squirrel in the fresh-kill pile. She looked around, noticing that there weren't many cats at camp.

_Shouldn't the cats going to the Gathering be here?...Oh well... _

Foxpaw was curious of why no one was here, but not enough for her to go looking for them. She padded into the apprentice's den and laid down in her nest, attempting to go to sleep. She was failing since Skell's words echoed in her head.

"_Why do you follow it then?" _

Now that Fox had thought about it, she didn't really understand why the Clans followed the Warrior Code. Maybe it was something that happened a long time ago? Unsure what to think, she cleared her head and fell asleep, the thought of the Warrior code nagging at the back of her mind.

* * *

Foxpaw woke up to the sound of cats talking in the clearing. She stood up and stretched, noticing how different the camp was from earlier. She padded out of the apprentice's den and looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was going down.

_I slept like a kit, I didn't even notice that it was almost time to go _

"There you are!" I heard someone say. Looking back down, I saw that it was Runningwind.

"I've been wondering where you were." He said, sounding relieved to have found me.

"I've been sleeping...so, now what?" I said, still sounding tired.

"You should eat something, then just wait." Runningwind said. I padded over to the fresh-kill pile, my black paws shaking slightly due to the fact that I hadn't fully woken up yet. I looked over it, noticing that my squirrel was gone. I grabbed a vole and walked back over to where Runningwind was and began eating it.

"Are...you...going to?" I asked between bites.

"Yes, I'm going." Runningwind answered flatly, "I wonder though if Windclan will show up." He wondered out loud. I stopped eating, remembering my trip to Windclan and their abandoned camp.

_I don't know...I mean there is no reason for them to leave...unless they were forced to! _

"All right everyone, it's time to go." A voice said. Looking up, I saw Bluestar leap down from Highrock and began leading up out of camp. I quickly buried the remains of my mouse and followed everyone out of camp. As I walked, I heard Graypaw wish Sandpaw a good time at home. I sighed. I now found Graypaw to be very immature and maybe...just maybe, I was beginning to slip out of love with him. Knowing that this wasn't the time to think about this, I focused on following Bluestar. We suddenly stopped right in front of Fourtrees, Bluestar signal halting our advance. I could hear Firepaw, Graypaw and Ravenpaw whispering to each other. After what seemed like forever, Bluestar gave us the signal to let us go in. I padded into Fourtrees, the scent of Shadowclan and Riverclan around me.

"Now, just go say hi to everyone, but don't give too much away." Runningwind said as he padded off. I went in the opposite direction and looked around. I saw a huge light-colored tabby standing near the Great Rock. Looking closer, I saw that something was wrong with his jaw. I continued on my way, trying to find someone I knew. I eventually saw Firepaw and Graypaw with a very small tabby tom and padded over to them.

"What were they called?" Graypaw said as I padded closer.

"Who?" I asked, surprising them.

"Oh, hey Foxpaw, do you remember what the great Clan was that had spots?" Graypaw asked. Luckily, I paid attention to when the elders talked about this story.

"You mean Leopardclan." I said, sounding confident.

"Oh, yeah, that's it." Graypaw said, "Thanks."

"No prob." I said. I looked at the tabby.

_There's no way he's an apprentice, he still looks like a kit_

"You're a Shadowclan apprentice, aren't you? How many moons are you?" A voice asked. I looked behind myself to see Lionheart.

"S-six moons." The tabby stuttered as he stared at the ground. I didn't believe him.

_He's way to small to be six moons, not even the smallest queen would have a kit six moons old and be his size. _

"Rather small for six moons." Lionheart said.

_Finally! _

"My mom was small too." He said before padding away. I stood up and padded off, to go find someone else to meet other than small apprentices.

"Hi." A voice said. I looked around and saw a she-cat padding towards me. She was a silver tabby with bright blue eyes.

"Hi." I said, "I'm Foxpaw."

"I'm Silverpaw." She said. I noticed that she was a maybe a moon older than me, but I wasn't sure.

"You're from Thunderclan, right?" She asked.

"Yep." I said, noticing that she must've been from Riverclan since she stunk of fish.

"Well, it's nice to meet you and..." Silverpaw started before a loud yowl stopped her. Looking up, I saw three cats standing on the Great Rock. One was Bluestar, one was the tabby with the weird jaw I saw earlier and the last one was a dark brown tabby tom.

"Never mind, the Gathering's about to start."

* * *

Me:Finally.  
Crys: Hey, guys, we here at Foxclaw999 are terribly sorry that we couldn't get this out sooner.  
Me: School has started here in California  
Crys: and being a sophomore in high school is time consuming, so we haven't had a lot of time  
Me: I split this into two parts so I could at least get one part out  
Crys: We'll be working on Part 2 ASAP  
Me:Okay, other news  
Crys: We're still working on the horoscope fanfic and we already have one warrior character.  
Me:Hint: It's someone who everyone seems to love  
Crys: We're also working on a couple of other fanfics from different Animes.  
Me: Also, I'm a Betareader, so if you want me to Betaread one of your stories, let me know.  
Crys: Until next time  
Me: I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out sooner  
Crys: Before October?  
Me: Yeah...Bye


	20. Fox's Tales Ending

Yes, as you can tell from the title, I'm ending Fox's Tales. I haven't had the motivation to write it and I'm moving on to bigger and better stories. I find it not as well written as some of the other work I've done. In the end, Foxpaw became a warrior with Snowpaw, but killed Snowpaw that night. Why? I don't remember. Anyway, I'll also be quitting this account and opening a new one.


End file.
